Shorty and I are trying to teach our children that all our bad behavior
flows out of our sinful hearts. So, if I get angry with them, it is NOT
their fault for disobeying (for example). Their disobedience IS sin, but
it simply gives me opportunity to pour out the sin from my own heart in
the form of anger. As I was telling Daddy about my plan to use The Chronicles of Narnia this year instead of the reading curriculum I have used the past several years, I explained that this year there seems to be a lot more focus on behavior instead of heart issues. So we talked a little bit about some different characters, and Daddy said that Edmund, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, had some pretty serious behavior issues.
Adara has just finished reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I was really impressed by the change in Edmund just through the course of this book. In the beginning of the book, he takes great delight in making Lucy feel miserable. And when the four children get into Narnia and hear about Aslan, Edmund is already soundly in the Witch's camp. He is hostile toward Aslan, and making excuses for why the Witch really SHOULD be queen. He is ALMOST indifferent to the consequences for his siblings when he decides to betray them to the Witch. But, as he spends more time in the Witch's company, his eyes begin to be opened to her true nature, and he begins to repent for his treachery. In the end of the story, he acquits himself well by sacrificing himself to break the Witch's wand. Well, almost the end. Edmund and his sibling go on to rule Narnia for many years, and (I think because of all that Aslan had done for him) Edmund is known as "King Edmund the Just".
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Romans 3:20-28
Monday, November 19, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
MORE Strawberry Jam
My girls LOVE strawberry jam! They have done their best to eat the strawberry jam I made a few months ago. In fact, I think they've eaten (with a little help from Judah, Shorty & me) about a gallon of it! Since they've eaten so much already, I decided to snatch up the 12 pounds of "quick sale" strawberries I saw at HEB Thursday night. And I made more strawberry jam! =)
Here's the thing: when you are doing a repetitive action for a long period of time, you have LOTS of time to think. So I was thinking about my previous post Strawberry Jam, and pondering the analogy of sugar representing the gospel. Some jam recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar, but some recipes, like the strawberry jam recipe, call for a nearly 1:2 ratio. I'm not saying that it takes twice as much gospel as my "contribution".
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
Romans 7:18
My thought, as I looked at a batch of jam, was, "That's A LOT of sugar!" I mean, you really don't see much fruit when you pour all the ingredients in the pan. And I thought, "It takes a lot of gospel to preserve this sinner-- and on a larger scale, His church!" It takes SO MUCH MORE than a 2:1 ratio! It takes infinite gospel!!! =) And God doesn't have a shortage! =)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
John 1:14-16
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
Ephesians 3:8-12
Here's the thing: when you are doing a repetitive action for a long period of time, you have LOTS of time to think. So I was thinking about my previous post Strawberry Jam, and pondering the analogy of sugar representing the gospel. Some jam recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar, but some recipes, like the strawberry jam recipe, call for a nearly 1:2 ratio. I'm not saying that it takes twice as much gospel as my "contribution".
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
Romans 7:18
My thought, as I looked at a batch of jam, was, "That's A LOT of sugar!" I mean, you really don't see much fruit when you pour all the ingredients in the pan. And I thought, "It takes a lot of gospel to preserve this sinner-- and on a larger scale, His church!" It takes SO MUCH MORE than a 2:1 ratio! It takes infinite gospel!!! =) And God doesn't have a shortage! =)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
John 1:14-16
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
Ephesians 3:8-12
Friday, November 16, 2012
Breaking Dawn
I am a chocoholic. I'm also a bookaholic. I LOVE to read!!! I like theology books, history books, (some) technical books, children's books, but my favorite to read just for recreation are fantasy books: Percy Jackson, the Inheritance cycle, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc. I would rather spend eight hours reading a book, than two hours watching a movie-- unless the movie is based on a book! ;) I'm a fan of all the details!
Before the movie "New Moon" came out, Shorty & I decided to read the books to see what all the fuss was about-- and to be able to talk about them intelligently. Over the next few months, we read all four books in the Twilight series. After reading Breaking Dawn I was bluesy for several days-- or maybe longer. It usually took Shorty and me a few weeks to process through the themes of the books and address them through a biblical perspective. When I had had time to process, I came to the conclusion that Breaking Dawn frustrated me because it offered all the benefits of eternal life-- youth, strength, beauty, power, immortality-- without correcting the root issue: sin. This was especially hard for me at the time because I was being faced with my own mortality and sin.
I was up late reading recently and came across this passage in Knowing God:
"We have all heard the gospel presented as God's triumphant answer to human problems-- problems of our relation with ourselves and our fellow humans and our environment. Well, there is no doubt that the gospel does bring us solutions to these problems, but it does so by first solving a deeper problem-- the deepest of all human problems, the problem of man's relation with his Maker. And unless we make it plain that the solution of these former problems depends on the settling of this latter one, we are misrepresenting the message and becoming false witnesses of God-- for a half-truth presented as if it were the whole truth becomes something of a falsehood by that very act. No reader of the New Testament can miss the fact that it knows all about our human problems-- fear, moral cowardice, illness of body and mind, loneliness, insecurity, hopelessness, despair, cruelty, abuse of power and the rest-- but equally no reader of the New Testament can miss the fact that it resolves all these problems, one way or another, into the fundamental problem of sin against God."
Now I know that Breaking Dawn was not attempting to preach a biblical gospel, but it does offer a "hope", albeit a fictional one. As a Christian engaging in this world, I want to be able to contrast those well, and hopefully offer someone a TRUE and REAL hope. =)
A Song of Ascents. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Psalms 130:1-8
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
2 Timothy 1:6-10
Before the movie "New Moon" came out, Shorty & I decided to read the books to see what all the fuss was about-- and to be able to talk about them intelligently. Over the next few months, we read all four books in the Twilight series. After reading Breaking Dawn I was bluesy for several days-- or maybe longer. It usually took Shorty and me a few weeks to process through the themes of the books and address them through a biblical perspective. When I had had time to process, I came to the conclusion that Breaking Dawn frustrated me because it offered all the benefits of eternal life-- youth, strength, beauty, power, immortality-- without correcting the root issue: sin. This was especially hard for me at the time because I was being faced with my own mortality and sin.
I was up late reading recently and came across this passage in Knowing God:
"We have all heard the gospel presented as God's triumphant answer to human problems-- problems of our relation with ourselves and our fellow humans and our environment. Well, there is no doubt that the gospel does bring us solutions to these problems, but it does so by first solving a deeper problem-- the deepest of all human problems, the problem of man's relation with his Maker. And unless we make it plain that the solution of these former problems depends on the settling of this latter one, we are misrepresenting the message and becoming false witnesses of God-- for a half-truth presented as if it were the whole truth becomes something of a falsehood by that very act. No reader of the New Testament can miss the fact that it knows all about our human problems-- fear, moral cowardice, illness of body and mind, loneliness, insecurity, hopelessness, despair, cruelty, abuse of power and the rest-- but equally no reader of the New Testament can miss the fact that it resolves all these problems, one way or another, into the fundamental problem of sin against God."
Now I know that Breaking Dawn was not attempting to preach a biblical gospel, but it does offer a "hope", albeit a fictional one. As a Christian engaging in this world, I want to be able to contrast those well, and hopefully offer someone a TRUE and REAL hope. =)
A Song of Ascents. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Psalms 130:1-8
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
2 Timothy 1:6-10
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Caught
My snowmen are out of hibernation! That is mostly due to the fact that my oldest daughter brought the boxes in out of the shed. =) I was beginning to think that the snowmen were just going to have to wait until we decorate for Christmas...
So I put my snowmen out and put the other stuff away. The kids were SUPER excited-- so much so that we had to make them sit on the couch so they wouldn't break anything! =? And as I was looking around once everything was in its place, I thought, "My Crew has caught my enthusiasm for all things snow/winter." And I was reminded of one of the messages I listened to this summer-- I don't remember which ONE ;) -- in which the pastor said that passion is "caught", not "taught". Our children will tend to believe that what we are passionate about is the "main thing". And his point was that we need to be passionate about the gospel. Good works are, in fact, good-- but they should flow out of our passion for the gospel. So as I looked around at my snowmen, I prayed- and am still praying- that I will have a "catching" passion for the gospel! =) I think that's what God had in mind when He commanded His people to teach their children His law.
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:1-5
So I put my snowmen out and put the other stuff away. The kids were SUPER excited-- so much so that we had to make them sit on the couch so they wouldn't break anything! =? And as I was looking around once everything was in its place, I thought, "My Crew has caught my enthusiasm for all things snow/winter." And I was reminded of one of the messages I listened to this summer-- I don't remember which ONE ;) -- in which the pastor said that passion is "caught", not "taught". Our children will tend to believe that what we are passionate about is the "main thing". And his point was that we need to be passionate about the gospel. Good works are, in fact, good-- but they should flow out of our passion for the gospel. So as I looked around at my snowmen, I prayed- and am still praying- that I will have a "catching" passion for the gospel! =) I think that's what God had in mind when He commanded His people to teach their children His law.
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:1-5
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Perfect Timing
I'm not very good at being on time. In fact, if it weren't for Shorty, I'd probably be late for EVERYTHING!!! =) I also tend to be not much a finisher... That could have SOMETHING to do with the fact that I am a procrastinator. I make grand plans to prepare for things, but in the end, unless the deadline looms large on the horizon, I feel like I have "plenty of time". ;)
I was up late last night reading. (I made the mistake of drinking caffeinated tea at supper.) I had started Knowing God about a year ago, got halfway through, and then skipped on to other reading material. I was just in awe though as I picked it up last night because the author, J.I. Packer, was referencing Bible passages that I've recently read/studied. It is a beautiful thing when God applies His Word to the hearts of His people! And I was thinking about how much less the chapters I read would have resonated without the time I've already spent in those passages. So I was praising God for His perfect timing as He puts together the mess that is my life, to make me look more like my Savior.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Mark 1:14-15
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;
Titus 1:1-3
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Jude 1:24-25
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
I was up late last night reading. (I made the mistake of drinking caffeinated tea at supper.) I had started Knowing God about a year ago, got halfway through, and then skipped on to other reading material. I was just in awe though as I picked it up last night because the author, J.I. Packer, was referencing Bible passages that I've recently read/studied. It is a beautiful thing when God applies His Word to the hearts of His people! And I was thinking about how much less the chapters I read would have resonated without the time I've already spent in those passages. So I was praising God for His perfect timing as He puts together the mess that is my life, to make me look more like my Savior.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Mark 1:14-15
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;
Titus 1:1-3
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Jude 1:24-25
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Someone Else's Mess
The trouble with used appliances, or houses, is that you often end up cleaning up someone else's mess. =P I was blessed (read that with a question mark) with a used oven a little over a year ago. I was excited at the time, but a little frustrated with how messy it was! I scrubbed it down pretty well before we even moved it to our house, but there were some places that I couldn't figure out how to get to, to clean the gunk out. Today I couldn't stand it anymore & pulled out a couple screwdrivers and my cleaning supplies & proceeded to scrub my oven.
At the beginning I was thinking, "Arrrggghhhhh!!! I HATE cleaning up other people's messes!" Now I've mentioned before that I'm a slow learner. I think God just keeps repeating the same lessons because I keep forgetting. Anyway, He reminded me that He keeps cleaning up my mess (read that "sin") WITHOUT complaints. Duly chastised, I finished scrubbing my oven thanking my Father that He is willing to clean up my messy heart, AND thanking Him for my oven. =)
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:7-9
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Ezekiel 36:25-27
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
At the beginning I was thinking, "Arrrggghhhhh!!! I HATE cleaning up other people's messes!" Now I've mentioned before that I'm a slow learner. I think God just keeps repeating the same lessons because I keep forgetting. Anyway, He reminded me that He keeps cleaning up my mess (read that "sin") WITHOUT complaints. Duly chastised, I finished scrubbing my oven thanking my Father that He is willing to clean up my messy heart, AND thanking Him for my oven. =)
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:7-9
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Ezekiel 36:25-27
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Monday, November 12, 2012
Mighty Man
I have finally made it to Revelation. I've been meandering through the New Testament for about two years I think... =) I'm usually nervous to begin reading Revelation because I feel like it just goes over my head-- and to be honest, it scares me. War, blood, plagues, pain, persecution... At least that's what I usually think of when I think of Revelation. But this summer I heard two AWESOME messages from Revelation & I began to get excited to read it again. This morning, chapter one was no disappointment.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea." Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Revelation 1:10-16
I don't know if you are picturing this "man" in the passage, or how you may be picturing him. My brother actually drew an illustration of this (taken literally) when we were teens-ish. That was standing in vivid color in the back of my mind as I read, but the messages I heard this summer both said that the pictures are to help us see characteristics.. "a picture is worth a thousand words," right? And so I read, and then I read again, and then again... =)
You've probably heard one of the men in your life say, "I wouldn't want to come up against THAT GUY in a fight." Well, this Man goes WAY beyond that thought! So much so that John "fell at his feet as though dead". The descriptions of his eyes, feet, voice, words and face all express power and wisdom in the extreme. I'm thinking I would have been like John- flat on my face!
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
Revelation 1:17-18
The right hand was the hand of favor, so I'm thinking that the Man reaching out to John is a good sign. At least this guy is not John's enemy. But then this Mighty Man tells John not to be afraid. And as I read the reason He gives, I'm thinking-- "I'm still scared. This is a TERRIFYING person. How is this supposed to comfort John?" So I began to ponder, and I was drawn back to the beginning of the chapter.
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Revelation 1:4-8
And it hit me! Shorty helped. =) John did not recognize Jesus at first-- or at least he SEEMS not to. And then Jesus says, in effect, "John, don't be afraid. You KNOW me. I love you and I redeemed you. You are mine." What a Mighty Savior!
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea." Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Revelation 1:10-16
I don't know if you are picturing this "man" in the passage, or how you may be picturing him. My brother actually drew an illustration of this (taken literally) when we were teens-ish. That was standing in vivid color in the back of my mind as I read, but the messages I heard this summer both said that the pictures are to help us see characteristics.. "a picture is worth a thousand words," right? And so I read, and then I read again, and then again... =)
You've probably heard one of the men in your life say, "I wouldn't want to come up against THAT GUY in a fight." Well, this Man goes WAY beyond that thought! So much so that John "fell at his feet as though dead". The descriptions of his eyes, feet, voice, words and face all express power and wisdom in the extreme. I'm thinking I would have been like John- flat on my face!
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
Revelation 1:17-18
The right hand was the hand of favor, so I'm thinking that the Man reaching out to John is a good sign. At least this guy is not John's enemy. But then this Mighty Man tells John not to be afraid. And as I read the reason He gives, I'm thinking-- "I'm still scared. This is a TERRIFYING person. How is this supposed to comfort John?" So I began to ponder, and I was drawn back to the beginning of the chapter.
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Revelation 1:4-8
And it hit me! Shorty helped. =) John did not recognize Jesus at first-- or at least he SEEMS not to. And then Jesus says, in effect, "John, don't be afraid. You KNOW me. I love you and I redeemed you. You are mine." What a Mighty Savior!
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