Different Kind of Wound
If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship... But I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Psalms 55:12, 13 & 16 NIV
No matter if the intent was malicious or misguided benevolence, we have all of us endured injury from others. None of us are surprised by evil from an enemy. But the wounds of a friend or family... well those are entirely different wounds. Who can defend against an onslaught of evil from the ones that are supposed to love us?
When thinking of injury from friends I can't help but think of Christ. He was wounded by the very ones he was sent to save. He knows what it is like to be wounded by the ones he loves. "If someone asks him, 'What are these wounds on your body? He will answer, 'The wounds I was given at the house of my friends." (Zechariah 13:6). I think that friend-wounds are worse than others because you placed your complete trust in them. You gave them parts of yourself that no one else had the privilege of owning. Their hurtful acts against you cause you to feel undervalued, embarrassed and gullible. What's worse is facing the prospect of doing what Jesus says, "Pray for those that despitefully use you." (Luke 6:28)
When I pray for the ones that have hurt me I have this slightly arrogant feeling; that I have taken the high road and have somehow made myself better than they are. But the truth is; keeping the command to pray for my enemies is not a call for arrogance or revenge, but a call to bless my foes. When I pray for my enemies it is like taking them by the hand and pulling them before The King in order to plead on their behalf for having hurt me. And that is something that we are only capable of doing if God's Holy Spirit resides in our hearts and minds. Prayer for enemies isn't "taking the high road"; it is only a part of walking the path that was plodded by Christ on the way to the cross.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Friday, March 21, 2014
Blessed are the poor in spirit
Blessed are the poor in spirit
Fully satisfied in God are the ones that recognize their spiritual poverty, the inability to do spiritual things for themselves, for they are now citizens of God’s city. The Lord reigns in their hearts and minds. Matthew 5:3 Key Word Translation
One might think that Christ would be intelligent if he called the rich, famous and the good to serve him. It is only natural to select individuals that have the greatest resources. But Christ is not making the natural choice; he is making a supernatural choice. Christ calls all. He extends his invitation to societal outcasts when he said that the poor are blessed. So again, God calls all, the great and the good and the bad and the infamous. And maybe this is why Jesus is so compelling. The intellectual and the layman can come to Jesus on the same terms. The powerful and the powerless, the strong and weak all come to Christ with the same spiritual poverty. And Christ, thankfully, accepts all who recognize their need for him.
(Except from Key Word Study – Beatitudes)
Author: Eric Montgomery
Copyright ©2013 Eric Montgomery. All rights reserved
Key Word Translation written by Eric Montgomery
At amazon.com, download the (FREE with Amazon Kindle) Key Word Study booklets; Beatitude, Seven Churches and Creation
Fully satisfied in God are the ones that recognize their spiritual poverty, the inability to do spiritual things for themselves, for they are now citizens of God’s city. The Lord reigns in their hearts and minds. Matthew 5:3 Key Word Translation
One might think that Christ would be intelligent if he called the rich, famous and the good to serve him. It is only natural to select individuals that have the greatest resources. But Christ is not making the natural choice; he is making a supernatural choice. Christ calls all. He extends his invitation to societal outcasts when he said that the poor are blessed. So again, God calls all, the great and the good and the bad and the infamous. And maybe this is why Jesus is so compelling. The intellectual and the layman can come to Jesus on the same terms. The powerful and the powerless, the strong and weak all come to Christ with the same spiritual poverty. And Christ, thankfully, accepts all who recognize their need for him.
(Except from Key Word Study – Beatitudes)
Author: Eric Montgomery
Copyright ©2013 Eric Montgomery. All rights reserved
Key Word Translation written by Eric Montgomery
At amazon.com, download the (FREE with Amazon Kindle) Key Word Study booklets; Beatitude, Seven Churches and Creation
Friday, March 14, 2014
Knowing God
Knowing God
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. Jeremiah 24:7 NIV
I read an article about an intelligent, beautiful and famous actress. When asked about religion she said, "I am an agnostic, even though I respect and am interested in all religions. If there's something I believe in, it's a mysterious energy; the one that fills the oceans during tides, the one that unites nature and beings." She believes in“energy” that inexplicably unites life... I remember speaking to a woman about God. I made a comment akin to the idea that we get to know God intimately because of Christ. She responded by literally yelling at me, "That's blasphemous! You can't know God! It is impossible to know him!"
Do you think that God would give up His son just so He could purposefully remain shrouded in mystery? I have a hard time accepting that God is cloaked, only revealing Himself as a "mysterious energy". I think that the opposite is true. Not only is God showing His true identity, but also He intends for us to know Him fully and unequivocally. I am not speaking of religion and rules. I am speaking of intimacy and truth. Why else would so many people in the Bible give God nicknames? Some called Him “Healer” and others called Him “Redeemer”. And yet many others called Him Lord. You can’t call God these names if he is unknowable or a mysterious force of nature. God created everything in the universe to call attention to Himself (Romans1:20). God isn’t hiding, He wants (or maybe demands) to be known.
I think that knowing God is always first-person; you can’t know him through the experiences of others. Knowing God is impossible apart from Jesus; for He is God incarnate. And I think that God will slip through your fingers without reading the Bible, God’s primary means of communicating with us. Without God’s Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, without Christ to bridge the gap, it is impossible to know the one true and living God.
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. Jeremiah 24:7 NIV
I read an article about an intelligent, beautiful and famous actress. When asked about religion she said, "I am an agnostic, even though I respect and am interested in all religions. If there's something I believe in, it's a mysterious energy; the one that fills the oceans during tides, the one that unites nature and beings." She believes in“energy” that inexplicably unites life... I remember speaking to a woman about God. I made a comment akin to the idea that we get to know God intimately because of Christ. She responded by literally yelling at me, "That's blasphemous! You can't know God! It is impossible to know him!"
Do you think that God would give up His son just so He could purposefully remain shrouded in mystery? I have a hard time accepting that God is cloaked, only revealing Himself as a "mysterious energy". I think that the opposite is true. Not only is God showing His true identity, but also He intends for us to know Him fully and unequivocally. I am not speaking of religion and rules. I am speaking of intimacy and truth. Why else would so many people in the Bible give God nicknames? Some called Him “Healer” and others called Him “Redeemer”. And yet many others called Him Lord. You can’t call God these names if he is unknowable or a mysterious force of nature. God created everything in the universe to call attention to Himself (Romans1:20). God isn’t hiding, He wants (or maybe demands) to be known.
I think that knowing God is always first-person; you can’t know him through the experiences of others. Knowing God is impossible apart from Jesus; for He is God incarnate. And I think that God will slip through your fingers without reading the Bible, God’s primary means of communicating with us. Without God’s Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, without Christ to bridge the gap, it is impossible to know the one true and living God.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Worth dying for
Worth dying for
knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19 NASB
Have you ever tried to do the “right thing”, but it seems to blow up in your face? Sometimes it seems like we plant good seed, but all we reap is trouble. It seems abnormal, but Christ confirms that when we make attempts to take on his persona (or I should say his Spirit), people will hate us for it (John 15:18-19).
I admit that too many times I have dealt with the insults and the exclusions without a sense of grace. Instead of rolling with the punches, I start to feel unimportant and foolish. Sometimes I just feel like giving up. And just at the right time God restores me. He lifts me up by sending something wonderful, something grand, something so Him.
At just the right time, God reminds me of the value He has placed upon me. And, His reminder overwhelms me like the current of a rushing waterfall. When others deride and ridicule, God reminds me that my worth is more than gold and silver. I am so valuable to Him that dollars and cents won't due, but only blood. The Lord reminds me that no matter what others think of me, to Him, I am worth dying for.
knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19 NASB
Have you ever tried to do the “right thing”, but it seems to blow up in your face? Sometimes it seems like we plant good seed, but all we reap is trouble. It seems abnormal, but Christ confirms that when we make attempts to take on his persona (or I should say his Spirit), people will hate us for it (John 15:18-19).
I admit that too many times I have dealt with the insults and the exclusions without a sense of grace. Instead of rolling with the punches, I start to feel unimportant and foolish. Sometimes I just feel like giving up. And just at the right time God restores me. He lifts me up by sending something wonderful, something grand, something so Him.
At just the right time, God reminds me of the value He has placed upon me. And, His reminder overwhelms me like the current of a rushing waterfall. When others deride and ridicule, God reminds me that my worth is more than gold and silver. I am so valuable to Him that dollars and cents won't due, but only blood. The Lord reminds me that no matter what others think of me, to Him, I am worth dying for.
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