GREENE STREET LETTERS: Evening Thoughts

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Evening Thoughts

It has been a good day.
A long day.
Another day to follow after Him.
I didn't stray today, seem to stay on the path.
Grateful for that.

Matthew 6: 21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I think it shows me how much I need to grow in that each time I read this verse and I come to the word "treasure", I envision one of those pirate chests you see on movies. Huge, with metal bands around it and a lid that is curved so that you can store more treasure inside. Kind of sick ain't I? I don't want my mind or my heart to be trapped by the things of this world. I don't want to hang on to the value system of this world. I want to be free to not be drawn by anything of value the world has decided on. I want desperately to be like the Apostle Paul who counted everything (and I think he truly meant everything) as dung, manure, worthless. Everything the world had to offer paled in comparison to the surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus. That is what I want! That is the heart that I am striving for. One that walks by all the treasure piled up by the side of the road to follow after Jesus.

I want Jesus to be my treasure.
Not what He has done for me.
Not the blessing that have come my way over the years.
But the simple, sheer presence of knowing Him and walking with Him.
I read in Genesis where God would come down in the cool of the day and walk with Adam. That is what my heart desires. That my relationship with Him would be one of intimate conversation. Him speaking deep into me the things He wants me to not just know, but understand.

I see a lot of people in the news today who are on the verge of not only financial collapse but emotional and spiritual collapse because these have become their treasure. Their hearts followed hard after money and power and wealth. But their treasure has been shaken and revealed for the truth. Let your money save you. Let the very thing you worshipped keep you from destruction. It's not going to happen.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
look full in his wonderful face
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace.

1 comment:

Bobby said...: I pray that God gives you all of his presence that you can stand. God on you!; December 16, 2008 at 9:48 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.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Evening Thoughts

1 comment:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD