Blessed Ezekiel! He tells us, "God grabbed me by the shoulder and said, "Get up...Go out on the plain. I want to talk with you."" (Eze.3:22)
Ezekiel did get up and went out on the plain. At first Ezekiel didn't really want to get mixed up with God,having no desire to get into trouble with the authorities, but he finally went and saw...The Glory of God!
Sure sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Well God has never grabbed me by the shoulder or any other body part for I am not a prophet. Nor have I seen the Glor of God as it came to Ezekiel. But because I have studied the new testament, also, I remember Jesus telling His disciples to go and tell the world about Him. Will that enable me to see the Glory of God?
Now those who follow Jesus today and are not one of Jesus first disciples are probably not capable, as I am not, of those miraculous changes those first disciples made. But we have been "ordained" through the scriptures to "go and do likewise."
My efforts to do this are late in coming and extremely minor in comparison. Nothing I might do could compare with the work of the Magnificant Eleven!! But God loves me and loves whatever attempt I might make to heal the world. I must trust the Holy Spirit to use my smile and my actions when words don't seem appropriate. And kindness is good. Even just being there is sometimes the best a person today can do. Promising to pray for someone, enjoying a loaugh together, forgiving "rough edges" so like my own, can be "doing likewise" as we have been instructed.
I'll be listening wiith my heart and looking with my mind for the Glory of God. It may not look like it did for Ezekiel, but it will be there. I'm sure of it! A smile returned, a friend healing, a thank you for prayer...all these and more represent the Glory of God. I'm sure of it! Right? Jesus?
Someday we will all behold...like Ezekiel...God in ALL of His Glory! Amen
Love to the whole world, jo
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
THE INFLATED SELF
John 13:38 reads, "Really? You'll lay down your life for me? The truth is that before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."
Jesus spoke these words, if you remember, to Peter after the last Passover Feast Jesus had with His disciples. Judas had already left to do his deed of betrayal. Jesus had washed their feet and warned them that He must go away for a while. Peter claimed he could go with Jesus; he was prepared to die with him. But Jesus knew Peter well and said, "You will deny me three times."
I am much like Peter, I think. I can do that! I can deny myself! I gave Jesus my life and asked that He would come into mine. I was most sincere.
But, like Peter, I have denied Jesus. I have denied Him many times. I can see the denials when I look backward at things I have done--or things I did not do. Whenever I think or do something totally for myself instead of for another, I deny Jesus. My selfishness is apparent to others. Even when I try to help someone, I wonder how much is for self-agrandizement. Yes, I am full of self. My self is so huge and---Oh, No! I keep trying to make it bigger!
This sin is part of my central core and only the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ can keep me from total self-inflation. Lord, help me! Amen
Yet, Jesus loved Peter. Jesus forgave Peter and called him the Rock. I know I am loved, too. Christ has been so good to me. I thank you, Lord, for showing me how deep and wide your love is. Thank you for leading me away from myself and keep me working at the never-ending sin of self. You are wonderful, Lord! I praise your name!
Happy is the day I am more of Him and less of me!
I remain---Your friend, Jo
Jesus spoke these words, if you remember, to Peter after the last Passover Feast Jesus had with His disciples. Judas had already left to do his deed of betrayal. Jesus had washed their feet and warned them that He must go away for a while. Peter claimed he could go with Jesus; he was prepared to die with him. But Jesus knew Peter well and said, "You will deny me three times."
I am much like Peter, I think. I can do that! I can deny myself! I gave Jesus my life and asked that He would come into mine. I was most sincere.
But, like Peter, I have denied Jesus. I have denied Him many times. I can see the denials when I look backward at things I have done--or things I did not do. Whenever I think or do something totally for myself instead of for another, I deny Jesus. My selfishness is apparent to others. Even when I try to help someone, I wonder how much is for self-agrandizement. Yes, I am full of self. My self is so huge and---Oh, No! I keep trying to make it bigger!
This sin is part of my central core and only the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ can keep me from total self-inflation. Lord, help me! Amen
Yet, Jesus loved Peter. Jesus forgave Peter and called him the Rock. I know I am loved, too. Christ has been so good to me. I thank you, Lord, for showing me how deep and wide your love is. Thank you for leading me away from myself and keep me working at the never-ending sin of self. You are wonderful, Lord! I praise your name!
Happy is the day I am more of Him and less of me!
I remain---Your friend, Jo
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
IT'S HARD TO ALWAYS GIVE THANKS!
Hello, again! Seems like I was just here moments ago, but God absolutely led me to this message...because I needed to hear it! So, if it's not new to you, I apologize. In fact, for the record, I apologize for everything that has been old stuff to you in the weeks past. But, perhaps, reminders to each of us doesn't hurt!
In reading today's suggested reading in Jeramiah 2 verse 16a, a message leaped out at me. These raging lions and tigers leap from their secluded rocks and trees and roar their messages. Sometimes I hear only a whisper of a leaf floating in the breeze, but today it was lions and tigers roaring the gist of it and the floating leaf drifted into my mind to uncover the rest. Jer.2:16a ...."Why do you think all this has happened? Isn't it because you walked out on your God just as He was beginning to lead you in the right way?"
Now, I pray to follow God's will and yet what seems to be His will often is not. And all we can do is live with the confusion that comes when we have been mistaken. But, here now, is the revelation for me.....Even the worst scenario is liveable when God is included.....and thanked!Ephesians 5:20 says "You will always give thanks for everything to God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ!"
There you have it! Thanking God for all things is an instruction, an order! Even the worst scenario in our lives is liveable when God is included and thanked.
Right now, today, Jerry and I should be at a closing for a small condo in MN, something we long to do in order to be closer to our children and our grand-children. We probably aren't quite ready to move back permanently, but it was to be a small start. The deal went kaput through no fault of ours and we have suffered a big disappointment. Plus, we have prayed most desperately for two of our grandchildren in the past two years for disappointments in their lives, as well. There has been no blaming God, just trust and hope. But, until today, I have not thanked God for these things.
I thank you God, even for disappointments, for I believe through your mercy and generosity you will persevere and bring new life into these situations. I thank you , Lord,that even in my thoughtlessness, you have come. Thank you for loving my grandchildren and their parents, and for all the time of teaching us you are providing. Forgive me for not thanking you before this time, but I thank you most sincerely for re-opening my eyes to your desire for me to thank you. Thank you for your healing power in the lives of those in my family who need healing. And for Jerry and I as we grow older, for we thank you for the peace you are sure to bring us as we again seek your will regarding a spot to rest in the North.
Please be with my friends out there in la la land and help us all remember to thank you NO MATTER WHAT !
With assurance of God's pleasure, and with an AMEN, I remain....Jo
In reading today's suggested reading in Jeramiah 2 verse 16a, a message leaped out at me. These raging lions and tigers leap from their secluded rocks and trees and roar their messages. Sometimes I hear only a whisper of a leaf floating in the breeze, but today it was lions and tigers roaring the gist of it and the floating leaf drifted into my mind to uncover the rest. Jer.2:16a ...."Why do you think all this has happened? Isn't it because you walked out on your God just as He was beginning to lead you in the right way?"
Now, I pray to follow God's will and yet what seems to be His will often is not. And all we can do is live with the confusion that comes when we have been mistaken. But, here now, is the revelation for me.....Even the worst scenario is liveable when God is included.....and thanked!Ephesians 5:20 says "You will always give thanks for everything to God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ!"
There you have it! Thanking God for all things is an instruction, an order! Even the worst scenario in our lives is liveable when God is included and thanked.
Right now, today, Jerry and I should be at a closing for a small condo in MN, something we long to do in order to be closer to our children and our grand-children. We probably aren't quite ready to move back permanently, but it was to be a small start. The deal went kaput through no fault of ours and we have suffered a big disappointment. Plus, we have prayed most desperately for two of our grandchildren in the past two years for disappointments in their lives, as well. There has been no blaming God, just trust and hope. But, until today, I have not thanked God for these things.
I thank you God, even for disappointments, for I believe through your mercy and generosity you will persevere and bring new life into these situations. I thank you , Lord,that even in my thoughtlessness, you have come. Thank you for loving my grandchildren and their parents, and for all the time of teaching us you are providing. Forgive me for not thanking you before this time, but I thank you most sincerely for re-opening my eyes to your desire for me to thank you. Thank you for your healing power in the lives of those in my family who need healing. And for Jerry and I as we grow older, for we thank you for the peace you are sure to bring us as we again seek your will regarding a spot to rest in the North.
Please be with my friends out there in la la land and help us all remember to thank you NO MATTER WHAT !
With assurance of God's pleasure, and with an AMEN, I remain....Jo
Saturday, August 4, 2012
CHRIST LIVES WITHIN HIS WORD
Read this today, please, with an open mind. I pray God has inspired me to write this and that it is not my own willfulness. It is true, I am capable of assuming what I do is God's will when it may be my own. So what I say, I say in gratitude of God's grace.
Reading John 6:3 today. "The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I have spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making." (The Message) These words followed the reaction to some of Jesus' followers when Christ spoke to them about eating HIs Body and drinking HIs Blood. They found this too radical to follow. Jesus answered them by explaining the Spirit of God works within us so that we are willing to risk receiving Christ's Spirit. And the words Christ speaks are only because the Spirit of God has given them to Him. And so, we eat His Word given by God's Spirit, and is if you will, the Body and Blood of Christ.
Now, I read Scripture daily as do many of you, and I eat up His Word, which is full of the very life of Jesus. Also, I do take communion in church which signifies the Body of Christ, the Bread of Life. Both methods of receiving Christ are real to me.
But for many people, so much of what is real to me is hidden from their sight. Loving Christ allows me to accept a wafer and a sip of wine as Christ's Body and Blood. But my meal of Christ are the words He spoke on earth which came from the very Spirit of God. These I eat, absorb, act upon, and, I pray, share in this small way. So, I'm just sayin', the word of Christ through the Holy Spirit is Christ's very Body and Blood. He lives within His Word. And I, by faith, shall find Him in those words and find this life-making.
I'm just sayin'.
Because of the Spirit of God, I am....Jo
Reading John 6:3 today. "The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I have spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making." (The Message) These words followed the reaction to some of Jesus' followers when Christ spoke to them about eating HIs Body and drinking HIs Blood. They found this too radical to follow. Jesus answered them by explaining the Spirit of God works within us so that we are willing to risk receiving Christ's Spirit. And the words Christ speaks are only because the Spirit of God has given them to Him. And so, we eat His Word given by God's Spirit, and is if you will, the Body and Blood of Christ.
Now, I read Scripture daily as do many of you, and I eat up His Word, which is full of the very life of Jesus. Also, I do take communion in church which signifies the Body of Christ, the Bread of Life. Both methods of receiving Christ are real to me.
But for many people, so much of what is real to me is hidden from their sight. Loving Christ allows me to accept a wafer and a sip of wine as Christ's Body and Blood. But my meal of Christ are the words He spoke on earth which came from the very Spirit of God. These I eat, absorb, act upon, and, I pray, share in this small way. So, I'm just sayin', the word of Christ through the Holy Spirit is Christ's very Body and Blood. He lives within His Word. And I, by faith, shall find Him in those words and find this life-making.
I'm just sayin'.
Because of the Spirit of God, I am....Jo
Thursday, August 2, 2012
HEAVEN BORN; HEAVENLY KNOWING
It seems I am subject to an occasional virus, but back again learning to live in the Heavenly realms!
So, yesterday and today, in reading the book of John (my favorite), I came to a deeper understanding of why some respond to Jesus' teachings and some can't quite "swallow" the "myths" of God and what God teaches.
First, John 3:32,33 tells us (The Message): "The earthborn is earthbound and speaks earth language; the heaven-born is in a league of his own. He sets out the evidence of what he saw and heard in heaven. No one (earthbound) wants to deal with these facts. But anyone who examines this evidence will come to stake his life on this: that God himself is the Truth." One who takes the time to examine the evidence, shows an interest, and opens the door to that Truth.
What's the difference between the earth-bound and the Heaven-bound persons? The earth-bound sees all things as to how it pertains to him or her. For instance, a pine tree as an example. A particular pine-tree smells good, gives good shade, might make a good Christmas tree, often grows in a lovely place to have a picnic, and so the person likes the pine-tree. Unless, it is in the way of a driveway, or some-such inconvenience to the person. A heaven-bound person enjoys the tree in the same way, but sees the tree as a gift of God and a gift to the entire surroundings and has a spirit of its own to enjoy and appreciate. He may even try to put his driveway in a different place. The pine-tree becomes an entity to be considered as one of God's blessings. How we rate its importance depends on our attitude toward Heaven and Heaven's teachings. One who cannot or will not follow Heaven's teachings cannot also be God-directed as he is not God-re-created.
Then, today, in John 4:10 I read: "If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking mefor a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water." The clue here is "if you knew." This goes right back to those who are earth-bound vs those who are heaven-bound. When the Samarian woman at Jacob's well began to believe Jesus was the Messiah, she bagan to know and understand what he was talking about.
Now I am basically a selfish person and that's why I stay in the Word. I need the help of the Holy Spirit constantly to keep me versed in the Heavens. Yes, I am now Heaven-born and hope I am also Heavenly-knowing. But I must work hard and stay tuned to the Holy Spirit in order to not go into self. But I like being self-less; I like being Heaven-born. And I want to fully be God's person. The work of the devil hounds us constantly. I want to stay clear of THAT one!
Come Holy Spirit. Keep me in your care for without you I am nothing. Amen
Yours in the Truth, jo
So, yesterday and today, in reading the book of John (my favorite), I came to a deeper understanding of why some respond to Jesus' teachings and some can't quite "swallow" the "myths" of God and what God teaches.
First, John 3:32,33 tells us (The Message): "The earthborn is earthbound and speaks earth language; the heaven-born is in a league of his own. He sets out the evidence of what he saw and heard in heaven. No one (earthbound) wants to deal with these facts. But anyone who examines this evidence will come to stake his life on this: that God himself is the Truth." One who takes the time to examine the evidence, shows an interest, and opens the door to that Truth.
What's the difference between the earth-bound and the Heaven-bound persons? The earth-bound sees all things as to how it pertains to him or her. For instance, a pine tree as an example. A particular pine-tree smells good, gives good shade, might make a good Christmas tree, often grows in a lovely place to have a picnic, and so the person likes the pine-tree. Unless, it is in the way of a driveway, or some-such inconvenience to the person. A heaven-bound person enjoys the tree in the same way, but sees the tree as a gift of God and a gift to the entire surroundings and has a spirit of its own to enjoy and appreciate. He may even try to put his driveway in a different place. The pine-tree becomes an entity to be considered as one of God's blessings. How we rate its importance depends on our attitude toward Heaven and Heaven's teachings. One who cannot or will not follow Heaven's teachings cannot also be God-directed as he is not God-re-created.
Then, today, in John 4:10 I read: "If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking mefor a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water." The clue here is "if you knew." This goes right back to those who are earth-bound vs those who are heaven-bound. When the Samarian woman at Jacob's well began to believe Jesus was the Messiah, she bagan to know and understand what he was talking about.
Now I am basically a selfish person and that's why I stay in the Word. I need the help of the Holy Spirit constantly to keep me versed in the Heavens. Yes, I am now Heaven-born and hope I am also Heavenly-knowing. But I must work hard and stay tuned to the Holy Spirit in order to not go into self. But I like being self-less; I like being Heaven-born. And I want to fully be God's person. The work of the devil hounds us constantly. I want to stay clear of THAT one!
Come Holy Spirit. Keep me in your care for without you I am nothing. Amen
Yours in the Truth, jo
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