GREENE STREET LETTERS: It is a war----

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

It is a war----

Psalm 144:1
Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle---
My loving kindness and my fortress. My high tower and my deliverer. My shield and the ONE in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me.

On this day before Thanksgiving, I want to remember that life is hard---is it not?
Life comes at us in many different ways and directions and sometimes blindsides us.
We caught off guard or maybe we are thinking we can stop and catch our breath.
BLAM! A situation arises that sends us reeling.
Sometimes I forget that living a spiritual life (relationship with the real/deal God) in a fallen world is kind of like oil and water. It just doesn't mix and it never will mix.
I forget that there really is a declared enemy out there who stands against everything God stands for. This enemies job is to stop me, discourage me, interrupt me and, dare I say it? Even Kill Me!.

I love the verses in Psalm 144 because it puts the focus on God training me for such combat and battles that I will face daily. Mixed in with all this language of war and combat and battles, we also find words like Loving kindness. Strange isn't it? That Loving kindness be mentioned in the same breath with battle and war. You see, sometimes I discount the power of Love. Especially the love God has called me to. The love of the Father poured out on me and the love of Jesus that should be flowing from me.
Jesus didn't defeat the devil through power (although power was involved). He defeated the devil by taking the devil's own weapons (death and the grave) and rising above their capability to destroy. As wonderful as Jesus' death and resurrection is, you know what is even greater? The fact that it was from a heart of love and obedience to His Father that caused or moved Jesus to approach the cross.

Hebrews 12:2 reads: looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Did you catch that? The joy set before Him (Jesus) aided him in enduring the cross. That must be some kind of joy. It is the same Joy that Jesus wants to impart to us so that we can face each trial and situation for His glory, not our own.

Bible says to "ask, seek and knock and it shall be given, found and opened unto you. Let the Joy of the Lord become a part of you.
Happy Thanksgiving!

God on you....
mb

1 comment:

Deb Hood said...: Happy Thanksgiving to you and Vicki and your family. Love you guys !!!; November 23, 2011 at 4:56 PM

Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

It is a war----

1 comment:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD