Posted by Sheshisown on May 01, 2008 at 13:57:52:
In Reply to: To Sheshisown posted by Princess_Ruhamah on April 30, 2008 at 16:44:44:
Oh Hello my precious friend-
It IS good to hear from you. I wish we lived closer to one another, I'd come over to see you, and make you detail every pebble for me. THEN, of course, you would have to tell the colors and weight of each, and how they all relate to one another, and the where and how and why of them. Then, together we would give our Jesus praise for dissolving the ones He choose to, and wait side-by-side for Him to work on, out, or in, the others. I love you, my friend.
I know that overwhelmed feeling very well, you have the timing just right for my finals, aheh~
Hebrews 12~ The wisdom of hope. In this race we are watched by those who have already crossed that finish line, see Matthew 18, both Elijah and Moses are talking with Jesus about the things about to come for Him. He will come "in the clouds". In our marathon we must keep our eyes fixed on the Author at the Finish line. Think of Jonah up there saying, "Come on, obey!" Sharach Meshack and Abednigo, witnessing our firey trials, saying, "Oh, she's going to look just like Jesus after this burning."
I get tied down by the pebbles, then I need to lay aside these slower-downers. For He endured the cross, despised the shame, being drenched in their spittle, pummeled by their fists, doom in His heart~ so that His sweat fell in drops of blood.For what? For the joy set before Him. See the thief on the cross beside our Lord was a preview for Jesus of the joy. A sweet moment of the glorious salvation of His bride.
Often the events we dread the most, challenges, obligations, pressures, we cannot get out of. The hardest part is the dreading it. When we get there often there is a sweet moment of light, a good work completed in us. Something to be thankful for in the end, maybe just that it is over, or that we may never have to face it again. Yet when we anticipate good things~ these often lead to let downs. I need to let His good chastening work what it will, a little spoon spanking is still good for us big kids.
Then I must be careful not to become bitter, because others are getting blessed, graced, or shown mercy. "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;"
We cannot despise the birthright if we want the blessing. All the promises of the old testiment I want as a grafted vine, but I can miss my need to let it be a matter of the born again life. Trying again to earn it, thinking it is a brass ring to be grabbed.
What mountain is this that smokes so? Mount Sinai, the mount in which the law was given, it is Awesome, it burns, it quakes, with all its potentiality! But we cannot do the law . . . obey it at all . . . only by the new birth. To Mount Sion the heavenly Jerusalem, we are come, to God to Jesus our Mediator. Mt. Sinai will only burn us, with tears like Esau we will not find what is required. Ables blood cried out for revenge, but Jesus blood cried out for mercy, grace, forgiveness. A better Word.
So we again realise the work is done. It is all available for us right now. We are born into~ the blessing, we have moved into the heavenly city, (we are already seated in heaven). His blood provides perfection for us~ even now. So let us embrace more dearly the great salvation He has provided!
The voice of Law shook the earth! Yet once more He shakes heaven and earth, He knocks away all our scaffolding, all our wealth, power, intellect, honor, are removed. Why? So we will see the Lord. Even the good things, the pebbles of school of life that we sometimes look to, trust in, depend on, He will shake these. To shorten your anchor and keep it from touching the bottom. To secure us, to make us the ones who cling more to the Rock. Not to keep us away from Him as Mt. Sinai the Law does~ to make us terrorized by His Holiness~ But to keep us SO close to Him~ by faith not by sight. And we will be walking beside Him then.
For those things which cannot be shaken~ our relationship with Him, our love for one another, the glory He is working into us, cannot be moved!
Sometimes we cannot meet with the Lord~ because we think we find Him in a person a pastor a sanctuary a program an experience. None of these are God. Bitter disappointment comes from leaning on these things, I KNOW. Let us NOT put our trust in anyone, anything, anyplace, not in robes, nor in the feeble light of incense, in no hushed assembly, nor even in the joined voice of praise.
Let us not miss this~ it will all fall down in the shaking and quaking of our Awesome God! For He alone will stand in His quake!
Oh fix our eyes upon You dear Lord, shake out the pebbles of distraction. By Your loving kindness keep us a Jesus church, a people fixed upon Your Son. Let the brightness of Your fire burn away the dross in us today. For it is a Great a Gracious God we have. Your Goodness is undisernable by our feeble minds. Let us personally come today to our Mediator. For we lean upon, and all our hope is in, You. Amen.
') bonnie