For those of you who used to follow The Oils of My Gladness, I've begun a new blog on Wordpress called Experiments in Prayer. The link to this new blog is...
www.experimentsinprayer.com.
God bless!!
Dave
Sunday, November 3, 2013
I've Begun a New Blog
Greetings...
For those of you who used to follow The Oils of My Gladness, I've begun a new blog on Wordpress called Experiments in Prayer. The link to this new blog is...
God bless!!
Dave
For those of you who used to follow The Oils of My Gladness, I've begun a new blog on Wordpress called Experiments in Prayer. The link to this new blog is...
God bless!!
Dave
Friday, September 7, 2012
Reclaiming the Image of God: The Beauty of Jesus...in His Humility
Do not imagine that
if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call
"humble" nowadays: he will not
be a sort of greasy, swarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course,
he is a nobody. Probably all you will
think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real
interest in what you said to him. If you
do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems
to enjoy life so easily. He will not be
thinking about humility; he will not be thinking about himself at all.—C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Have you ever thought about the humility of God? That not only is He the Most High but the Most Lowly, too? The more I think about it, the more it actually makes sense to me, you know? Especially when I consider that anything good (including humility) finds its origin and fullest expression in God; and, too, that God seems to take great pleasure in seeing humility spring forth from within His children. Because humility seems to be such an intimate and all encompassing part of God's Nature and Personality, I have this feeling that God is intensely pleased when He is invited to share such parts of Himself with us.
Marriam-Webster offers the following definitions for humility:
When I look unto Jesus, "the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being" (Hebrews 1:3a), I think upon Philippians 2:5, which teaches that this Jesus, Who being God, "made himself nothing" when He came to earth as a man. Made Himself nothing. Are you as intrigued by those words as I am? Other translations of this verse read as follows:
Yes...these things are very intriguing to me. So...for the next little while, I'd like to delve into what I believe to be three key components of humility.
For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to The Beatitudes in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount—especially to His first beatific if-then statement: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).
The older I get, the more convinced I am that, aside from the confession of sin (and the repentance from it as well!), there is nothing God lauds or asks of us that He Himself does not already possess or practice. A basic example of such a hypothesis would be God's command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. The reason God asks this of us is because He Himself is Love by definition. For us to obey God in this manner is to, quite simply, be like Him in that respect. Take the act of laying down one's life for another. While such a virtuous deed is not overtly commanded by God, Jesus regards such a thing as the greatest act of love one man (or woman) could do for another (see John 15:13). The reason Jesus was able to make such a judgment was because He Himself was just days from laying His life down for the whole world.
But what of the condition of being poor in spirit? Was this true of Jesus when He walked the face of the planet? Having given this considerable thought, I have no doubt but that He was. Jesus did not just preach poverty of spirit, He embraced it—embodied it, even. Not only did He make Himself poor, but He adopted the posture of a lowly slave and opened Himself up willingly to the problems, neediness, and spiritual oppressions we all face to one degree or another. Throughout the gospels, one cannot help but notice how Jesus seemed to live from day to day on what His Father gave Him. Jesus, as a human, was limited; He knew He was in enemy territory, and He knew, too, that He had needs that could only be met external to Himself. In becoming nothing, Jesus enslaved Himself to a paradigm where He could do nothing but look to God to provide for Him, protect Him, and empower Him. Think about that for moment...Jesus, God Almighty, stripped Himself of the privilege, power, and majesty of His preexistent state and allowed Himself to be born into slavery so that He might in His humanness do that which only a human (the second or last Adam [see 1 Corinthians 14:45]) could do to redeem back humanity from the clutches of sin, death, and enemy control.
How willing are you to strip yourself of all that you are and have so that you might benefit another? The interesting thing is that only God has to power to do this. Jesus got His ability from God, and so can we, for that is how we are meant to live.
Marriam-Webster defines surrender as such:
In a nutshell, to surrender is to willfully accept and yield (as a slave or, even, as a prisoner) to the will of a dominating force or higher power. Jesus lived what I believe to be "the surrendered life". As a human being, He surrendered himself totally and completely to God; He also submitted to His parents (see Luke 2:51) and to the religious and civil authorities of His day (see Mark 12:17 and John 18:1-19:27). This is seen not just in His day to day life but also during the darkest times of His existence: While He anguished in the Garden of Gethsemane, and while He suffered on the cross at Golgotha. In my own prayer life, I have adopted and strung together two things Jesus prayed during these last two events of His life. The first is found in Luke 22:42, which Jesus said while in Gethsemane: "Not my will but thine"; the second is found one chapter later in Luke 23:46, which Jesus cried out to the father while He hung on the cross: "Into your hands, I commit my spirit". Combined together, these two prayers read as follows: "Not my will but Thine; into Your Hands I commit my spirit." For many years, this particular prayer has been my own personal anthem of surrender and consecration.
A surrendered person has not only been consecrated (made holy, set apart, branded) by God, but has embodied that consecration. What does a surrendered person's life look like? Drawing from the life of Jesus and from the many themes of surrendered living portrayed throughout both the Old and New Testaments, one is, I believe, on the narrow road of humility when he or she…
Buddhist thought teaches that to enjoy peace of mind, once must live presently by emptying one's mind of all self-focused thought, meaning the "hooks" and "sticky feedback loops" within the mind (regrets, unfulfilled longings, resentments, judgments, the desire to impress, etc.) that distract one from living in the here and now. While I agree that empty-mindedness (aka mindfulness) is crucial to peace of mind, the concept of emptying one's mind and emptying oneself are not the same thing.
Holy Father...
My need for you far exceeds my comprehension of that need. Help me, Lord, to walk in a manner that's surrendered before You...
...like someone who's made himself nothing...
...like someone who's been brought to a place of easy and continual emptying...
...so that I might be able to receive from You all that You have for me and then give it away to those around me.
I'm reminded, Lord, of something the missionary Jim Elliot wrote in his diary not long before he was martyred: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Lord...may my life be lived in such a manner.
Not my will but Thine; into Your Hands I commit my spirit...
Amen.
Have you ever thought about the humility of God? That not only is He the Most High but the Most Lowly, too? The more I think about it, the more it actually makes sense to me, you know? Especially when I consider that anything good (including humility) finds its origin and fullest expression in God; and, too, that God seems to take great pleasure in seeing humility spring forth from within His children. Because humility seems to be such an intimate and all encompassing part of God's Nature and Personality, I have this feeling that God is intensely pleased when He is invited to share such parts of Himself with us.
Marriam-Webster offers the following definitions for humility:
1.
The state of being humble;
2.
The absence of any feelings of being
better than anyone else;
3.
Having or showing a consciousness of
one's shortcomings;
4.
Modest;
5.
Lowly; unpretentious; and
6.
Abased.
Despite
these multiple (and, I think, useful) articulations, I am not quite sure MW is really getting at the essence of
true humility. As such, I'm wondering
if humility is just one of those rare states of being that, in many ways,
defies adequate description. In fact, I
would venture that it is our indirect experience of humility that lets us know
when we've encountered it. And it is
this particular reality that, I think, hints at why humility may be so important
to God. When I look unto Jesus, "the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being" (Hebrews 1:3a), I think upon Philippians 2:5, which teaches that this Jesus, Who being God, "made himself nothing" when He came to earth as a man. Made Himself nothing. Are you as intrigued by those words as I am? Other translations of this verse read as follows:
1.
"stripped himself of all privilege"
(J.B. Phillips New Testament);
2.
"made himself of no
reputation" (New King James Version); and
3.
"emptied himself" (New
American Standard Bible).
I
love these, and I believe that together they give us a glimpse into the
humility of He Who is the Standard-Bearer of true humility. YHVH, The Name of Existence, emptied Himself, stripped Himself of all privilege and reputation, and made Himself
nothing so that He might reconcile all things to himself.Yes...these things are very intriguing to me. So...for the next little while, I'd like to delve into what I believe to be three key components of humility.
Becoming
Nothing
For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to The Beatitudes in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount—especially to His first beatific if-then statement: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).
The older I get, the more convinced I am that, aside from the confession of sin (and the repentance from it as well!), there is nothing God lauds or asks of us that He Himself does not already possess or practice. A basic example of such a hypothesis would be God's command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. The reason God asks this of us is because He Himself is Love by definition. For us to obey God in this manner is to, quite simply, be like Him in that respect. Take the act of laying down one's life for another. While such a virtuous deed is not overtly commanded by God, Jesus regards such a thing as the greatest act of love one man (or woman) could do for another (see John 15:13). The reason Jesus was able to make such a judgment was because He Himself was just days from laying His life down for the whole world.
But what of the condition of being poor in spirit? Was this true of Jesus when He walked the face of the planet? Having given this considerable thought, I have no doubt but that He was. Jesus did not just preach poverty of spirit, He embraced it—embodied it, even. Not only did He make Himself poor, but He adopted the posture of a lowly slave and opened Himself up willingly to the problems, neediness, and spiritual oppressions we all face to one degree or another. Throughout the gospels, one cannot help but notice how Jesus seemed to live from day to day on what His Father gave Him. Jesus, as a human, was limited; He knew He was in enemy territory, and He knew, too, that He had needs that could only be met external to Himself. In becoming nothing, Jesus enslaved Himself to a paradigm where He could do nothing but look to God to provide for Him, protect Him, and empower Him. Think about that for moment...Jesus, God Almighty, stripped Himself of the privilege, power, and majesty of His preexistent state and allowed Himself to be born into slavery so that He might in His humanness do that which only a human (the second or last Adam [see 1 Corinthians 14:45]) could do to redeem back humanity from the clutches of sin, death, and enemy control.
How willing are you to strip yourself of all that you are and have so that you might benefit another? The interesting thing is that only God has to power to do this. Jesus got His ability from God, and so can we, for that is how we are meant to live.
Surrender
Marriam-Webster defines surrender as such:
1. To yield to the power, control,
or possession of another upon compulsion or demand;
2. To give up completely or agree to
forgo especially in favor of another;
3. To give (oneself) up into the
power of another especially as a prisoner; and
4. To give (oneself) over to
something (as an influence).
In a nutshell, to surrender is to willfully accept and yield (as a slave or, even, as a prisoner) to the will of a dominating force or higher power. Jesus lived what I believe to be "the surrendered life". As a human being, He surrendered himself totally and completely to God; He also submitted to His parents (see Luke 2:51) and to the religious and civil authorities of His day (see Mark 12:17 and John 18:1-19:27). This is seen not just in His day to day life but also during the darkest times of His existence: While He anguished in the Garden of Gethsemane, and while He suffered on the cross at Golgotha. In my own prayer life, I have adopted and strung together two things Jesus prayed during these last two events of His life. The first is found in Luke 22:42, which Jesus said while in Gethsemane: "Not my will but thine"; the second is found one chapter later in Luke 23:46, which Jesus cried out to the father while He hung on the cross: "Into your hands, I commit my spirit". Combined together, these two prayers read as follows: "Not my will but Thine; into Your Hands I commit my spirit." For many years, this particular prayer has been my own personal anthem of surrender and consecration.
A surrendered person has not only been consecrated (made holy, set apart, branded) by God, but has embodied that consecration. What does a surrendered person's life look like? Drawing from the life of Jesus and from the many themes of surrendered living portrayed throughout both the Old and New Testaments, one is, I believe, on the narrow road of humility when he or she…
·
Does
not have to have a particular thing happen (for example, get THAT job or marry
THAT person) to feel like his or her life will work out.
·
Needs
neither notoriety nor to be noticed, esteemed, or, even, recognized by others.
·
Is
genuinely happy for and rejoices with a peer when such a one does well on a difficult
exam, is promoted, is blessed in ministry, lands a fabulous job, wins the heart
of the prettiest girl in school, gets in to grad school, gets married, has a
baby, etc.
·
Prefers
to serve rather than to be served and adopts such a posture unassumingly, without
presumption and without announcement.
·
Lends
or gives to others without expecting anything in return, including repayment.
·
Is
committed to the local community of faith and values harmony as that community
seeks to express the love of God toward each other and toward those outside their
community.
·
Has
fun helping others to discover their dreams, to live-in to their own unique
happiness, or just to enjoy themselves.
·
Gives
back to God far more than just "the tithe".
·
Listens
to the Whispers of God’s Spirit and is readily available to serve God whenever
God says, "Now...".
·
Does
not have to be the best, the brightest, the most good looking, or the most
talented.
·
Has
an almost unquenchable desire to please his or her Abba-Daddy.
·
Speaks
the truth in love, even when doing so is unpopular or feels incredibly
uncomfortable.
·
Would
choose 100 out of 100 times to be the one stolen from as opposed to the one who
steals from another…even if he or she were assured of never being caught.
·
Actively
embraces a heart of gratefulness in most situations, and complains rarely, if ever.
·
Is
not easily offended.
·
Forgives
without so much as a thought because such a one decided long ago to forgive before
anything was said or done.
·
Is
not ashamed of Jesus or of His gospel.
·
Is
comfortable with silence and stillness.
·
Is
an expressive worshiper of God.
·
Recognizes
that everyone on earth is in the same boat:
And that is, that we are all in desperate need for God to do for us that
which we cannot do for ourselves.
·
Loves
purely for the joy of loving others and does not consider not being loved in
return that big of a deal.
·
Delights
in inviting God to be a part of every thought, feeling, word, and action.
·
Always
has enough to share with another.
·
Endeavors
to do the right thing—especially, when he or she is alone.
·
Has
been thoroughly tamed by God and treats others with the utmost kindness,
respect, dignity, and compassion.
·
Sees
himself or herself as nothing more than a conduit of God’s loving-kindness,
joy, compassion, and blessing to those around him or her.
·
Is
happy…pretty much all the time…even when feeling sad or broken.
·
Loves
language and words and feels things intensely, but is, surprisingly, slow to
speak and slow to become angry.
·
Listens
without interrupting (or without trying to think of what he or she would like
to say) while another is speaking.
·
Is
frugal (yet extremely generous) with his or her time, money, and resources.
Emptying Oneself
Buddhist thought teaches that to enjoy peace of mind, once must live presently by emptying one's mind of all self-focused thought, meaning the "hooks" and "sticky feedback loops" within the mind (regrets, unfulfilled longings, resentments, judgments, the desire to impress, etc.) that distract one from living in the here and now. While I agree that empty-mindedness (aka mindfulness) is crucial to peace of mind, the concept of emptying one's mind and emptying oneself are not the same thing.
To
empty one's mind is to let go of one's caressing attention to or fixation upon
one's self-thoughts and to, instead, turn one's attention back to the physical aspects
of existence—for example, to one's breath. To
empty oneself, though, involves not just the emptying of one's self-thoughts,
but also the laying down of one's rights, one's needs, one's privileges, and
one's personal desires. There are two
crucial elements to emptying oneself that I think point to things far beyond just the "emptying" exercise above; they are as follows:
1. When we empty ourselves, we create room wherein God can give us that which He longs to give us; more often than not, these are the very things
we've been longing for our entire lives.
2. When we empty ourselves
and then receive that which God has given us, we can, in turn, "empty
ourselves" into those around us (and give away that which we cannot lose!).
Jesus set the example in all these
things. Not only did He lay aside His
powers, rights, and privileges as God, but He made Himself empty before His
Father so that, paradoxically, His cup might be filled to overflowing with God's
Touch and Presence. And it was out of
that fullness, which He drank of daily, that He was able to pour Himself out into
those around Him.
Prayer of Humility
Holy Father...
My need for you far exceeds my comprehension of that need. Help me, Lord, to walk in a manner that's surrendered before You...
...like someone who's made himself nothing...
...like someone who's been brought to a place of easy and continual emptying...
...so that I might be able to receive from You all that You have for me and then give it away to those around me.
I'm reminded, Lord, of something the missionary Jim Elliot wrote in his diary not long before he was martyred: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Lord...may my life be lived in such a manner.
Not my will but Thine; into Your Hands I commit my spirit...
Amen.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Reclaiming the Image of God—Part Two
Jesus...in His
Holiness
How great the power and charm of a holy life! The world is replete with beauty. There is beauty in nature, beauty in art, beauty in countless forms; but there is no beauty like “the beauty of holiness.” The brightness which gleams through a good man’s life outshines the sun in its meridian splendor.—Octavius Winslow
Holiness, or, quite simply, the state of being sanctified (or set-apart from the world) unto God, is, I believe, that one trait which I think distinguishes the follower of Jesus from any and every other person on the face of the planet. While we are to be known by our love (see John 13:35), the ever-present loving-kindness of God, when it is expressed in and through us as individuals, is enabled and channeled through the conduit of our own personal holiness.
God, Who is holy by definition, is set apart from all creation unto Himself. We, as redeemed children of God, are holy, too, by virtue of the declarative will of Him Who has chosen to set us apart. To be set-apart for service by God is an honor that is difficult to articulate adequately, let alone, well. God, in His wisdom, holiness, and loving-kindness, has chosen to use us to fulfill His holy purposes in creation. We have been "branded" by Him to live-in to His plan to bring about the reconciliation of all things. When I write of this branding, it is my desire to convey the following similar, and yet different, thoughts: (1) I believe we are branded by God for identification similar to the way in which a shepherd or rancher might brand livestock; and (2) I believe we are branded by God with His holy Name in a manner similar to the way a textile manufacturer might brand a line of clothing. The seal (or branding insignia) of God, however, is His Blood, which cleanses us, His Word, which He has written upon our hearts, and His Spirit, Whom He has sent to live within each of us.
Jesus, when He came to earth as a man, was branded by God for a very special purpose: Principally, to make a way for humanity to be reconciled to God and, as such, to become "fully" human again. Sin, as I wrote of in part one, has been cataclysmic to all of us. Its devastation is so systemic and far-reaching that, without the work of God, all of us will remain, hopelessly and forever, bound and chained to the continuous cycles of sin begetting death and death begetting more sin. Sin dehumanizes and kills us because, with each sin we commit, we become less and less like God, Who is by definition Life. In a manner, all of us in our sin have become like monsters and, as such, are in desperate need for God to do something for us that we cannot do for ourselves: And that is, to make us human again.
With respect to our branding, did you know that as followers of Jesus we have been branded with the very same branding with which Jesus was branded? All of us—and there are no exceptions—have been appointed (and anointed) to carry on Jesus' particular "brand" of ministry in the world, and that is, of reconciling creation and making things (especially people) whole again.
Holiness (set-apartness, brandedness) is neither a practice nor a set of practices. No. While it may (and, most-likely, should) affect our behavior, it is not the behaviors themselves. Rather, it is an identification and a declaration/proclamation. And it carries with it a sentence: The universal, take-up-your-cross-and-follow-Me (Jesus) sentence that calls each of us to die to ourselves and to the world so that we might be used by God to help redeem humanity and to infuse the abundant life of God back in to everyday living.
Try as you may, if you are a follower of Jesus, you cannot escape this sentence. Just as it was carried out in Jesus' life, so, too, will it be carried out in yours. And in mine. While the general term "sentence" may carry a negative connotation, the "sentence" that follows upon your set-apartness by God is anything but negative. In fact, living-in to this particular sentencing brings with it the greatest of all delights: The fullness that comes with identifying with Jesus through the surrendering of your life unto Him. There really is no greater honor, my friends. Or calling. Your branding, your set-apartness, God's declaration of holiness over you, will and should affect who you are and how you live-out the remainder of life here on earth.
There is no one like You. You stand alone in Your uniqueness as all things are for You and find their existence and continuance in You. Thank you, Father, for setting me apart, for declaring me holy and consecrated unto You and for Your service. Dear God, I choose in this moment to take up my cross and to follow Jesus in His Ways of set-apart-ness. May I indeed be a conduit of your reconciling power in the world, and may my knowledge of all this affect everything I do and say throughout the course of my life.
I ask all of this in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, my Lord and Savior, and the Author and Finisher of my life and faith,
Amen.
In the next post, I will, Lord-willing, continue writing of these things by exploring a few significant ways in which Jesus' set-apartness affected how He approached His own life as a human being. I want to do this because these things are what I believe made Jesus so beautiful. In my heart, I feel that these very things are the essential ways of living and being that can enable us to reclaim our rightful place as image-bearers of Elohiym.
Until then, may God's peace be with all of you...
Dave
How great the power and charm of a holy life! The world is replete with beauty. There is beauty in nature, beauty in art, beauty in countless forms; but there is no beauty like “the beauty of holiness.” The brightness which gleams through a good man’s life outshines the sun in its meridian splendor.—Octavius Winslow
Holiness, or, quite simply, the state of being sanctified (or set-apart from the world) unto God, is, I believe, that one trait which I think distinguishes the follower of Jesus from any and every other person on the face of the planet. While we are to be known by our love (see John 13:35), the ever-present loving-kindness of God, when it is expressed in and through us as individuals, is enabled and channeled through the conduit of our own personal holiness.
God, Who is holy by definition, is set apart from all creation unto Himself. We, as redeemed children of God, are holy, too, by virtue of the declarative will of Him Who has chosen to set us apart. To be set-apart for service by God is an honor that is difficult to articulate adequately, let alone, well. God, in His wisdom, holiness, and loving-kindness, has chosen to use us to fulfill His holy purposes in creation. We have been "branded" by Him to live-in to His plan to bring about the reconciliation of all things. When I write of this branding, it is my desire to convey the following similar, and yet different, thoughts: (1) I believe we are branded by God for identification similar to the way in which a shepherd or rancher might brand livestock; and (2) I believe we are branded by God with His holy Name in a manner similar to the way a textile manufacturer might brand a line of clothing. The seal (or branding insignia) of God, however, is His Blood, which cleanses us, His Word, which He has written upon our hearts, and His Spirit, Whom He has sent to live within each of us.
Jesus, when He came to earth as a man, was branded by God for a very special purpose: Principally, to make a way for humanity to be reconciled to God and, as such, to become "fully" human again. Sin, as I wrote of in part one, has been cataclysmic to all of us. Its devastation is so systemic and far-reaching that, without the work of God, all of us will remain, hopelessly and forever, bound and chained to the continuous cycles of sin begetting death and death begetting more sin. Sin dehumanizes and kills us because, with each sin we commit, we become less and less like God, Who is by definition Life. In a manner, all of us in our sin have become like monsters and, as such, are in desperate need for God to do something for us that we cannot do for ourselves: And that is, to make us human again.
With respect to our branding, did you know that as followers of Jesus we have been branded with the very same branding with which Jesus was branded? All of us—and there are no exceptions—have been appointed (and anointed) to carry on Jesus' particular "brand" of ministry in the world, and that is, of reconciling creation and making things (especially people) whole again.
Holiness (set-apartness, brandedness) is neither a practice nor a set of practices. No. While it may (and, most-likely, should) affect our behavior, it is not the behaviors themselves. Rather, it is an identification and a declaration/proclamation. And it carries with it a sentence: The universal, take-up-your-cross-and-follow-Me (Jesus) sentence that calls each of us to die to ourselves and to the world so that we might be used by God to help redeem humanity and to infuse the abundant life of God back in to everyday living.
Try as you may, if you are a follower of Jesus, you cannot escape this sentence. Just as it was carried out in Jesus' life, so, too, will it be carried out in yours. And in mine. While the general term "sentence" may carry a negative connotation, the "sentence" that follows upon your set-apartness by God is anything but negative. In fact, living-in to this particular sentencing brings with it the greatest of all delights: The fullness that comes with identifying with Jesus through the surrendering of your life unto Him. There really is no greater honor, my friends. Or calling. Your branding, your set-apartness, God's declaration of holiness over you, will and should affect who you are and how you live-out the remainder of life here on earth.
Prayer of Holiness
Holy Father...
There is no one like You. You stand alone in Your uniqueness as all things are for You and find their existence and continuance in You. Thank you, Father, for setting me apart, for declaring me holy and consecrated unto You and for Your service. Dear God, I choose in this moment to take up my cross and to follow Jesus in His Ways of set-apart-ness. May I indeed be a conduit of your reconciling power in the world, and may my knowledge of all this affect everything I do and say throughout the course of my life.
I ask all of this in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, my Lord and Savior, and the Author and Finisher of my life and faith,
Amen.
In the next post, I will, Lord-willing, continue writing of these things by exploring a few significant ways in which Jesus' set-apartness affected how He approached His own life as a human being. I want to do this because these things are what I believe made Jesus so beautiful. In my heart, I feel that these very things are the essential ways of living and being that can enable us to reclaim our rightful place as image-bearers of Elohiym.
Until then, may God's peace be with all of you...
Dave
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Reclaiming the Image of God—Part One
The path of reclaiming God's
image is, I believe, found in following Jesus, and, through such a following, reconciling
with our own humanity. As paradoxical as
this might read, I am convinced that the more we become like Jesus in His
humanity, the more truly God-like we become.
Our humanness is intended to be one way in which God manifests Himself uniquely in the universe: Through the form of a human soul, or spirit-body,
that adds a physical dimension to the divine that, until mankind was created, could
not be grasped by any previously created beings (including the angels). As the scriptures read, "The angels long
to look into such things." (see 1 Peter 1:12). We as humanity are a metaphoric expression of
Who God is. Our love, creativity, and physical
labor echo God's lovingly creative work and allows those who observe such
things to have a finite example (one that they can wrap their minds around) of
the infinite loving-kindness, creativity, and "work ethic" of Almighty
God.
The greatest human ever to walk the earth was Jesus of Nazareth, the God-Man, Who created everything that exists and then submissively inserted Himself into the Story that He Himself authored. Many scriptures point to this very reality; a few, of which, are provided below:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.—Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.—John 1:1-5, 14-17
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing, but taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!—Philippians 2:5-8
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.—Colossians 1:15-20
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.—Hebrews 1:1-3a
When asked to describe God's character and nature, many will use words like "loving", "just", "holy", "all powerful", "all knowing", and "everywhere present". When describing His positional loftiness, many of the same people will acknowledge that He is Lord and King over all, that He is the Master of the universe, and that He is the Shepherd and Husbandman of souls. How, I ask, are these things manifested in mankind? To answer this question, we must look at Jesus, for, as I wrote above, Jesus is our Prototype, and it is He, Who, in His humanness, models for all of us what it means to be an image-bearer of Elohiym.
In the scriptures, we read in Hebrews 12:2a, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith"; and, along the same lines, in 2 Corinthians 3:18, we read, " But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." To reclaim our true humanity as image-bearers, we must look unto Jesus intently and see Him as He is. As marvelous as it might seem, we become like that which we focus upon. Unlike any other machines or organisms on earth, we can service ourselves, evolve, and shape how and why we operate the way we do. Ultimately, the key to this shaping is found in Jesus, and, more specifically, in our "seeing" (or "beholding") Him as He is. For, as the verse above in 1 Corinthians 3 indicates, transformation within us occurs as we do this very thing. With all this in mind, I would like to spend the next little while looking a little closer at Jesus, the One Who is, I am convinced, the definitive representation of what God intended for all of us when He made us.
Stay tuned for Part 2!!
Peace...
Dave
The greatest human ever to walk the earth was Jesus of Nazareth, the God-Man, Who created everything that exists and then submissively inserted Himself into the Story that He Himself authored. Many scriptures point to this very reality; a few, of which, are provided below:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.—Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.—John 1:1-5, 14-17
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing, but taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!—Philippians 2:5-8
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.—Colossians 1:15-20
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.—Hebrews 1:1-3a
When asked to describe God's character and nature, many will use words like "loving", "just", "holy", "all powerful", "all knowing", and "everywhere present". When describing His positional loftiness, many of the same people will acknowledge that He is Lord and King over all, that He is the Master of the universe, and that He is the Shepherd and Husbandman of souls. How, I ask, are these things manifested in mankind? To answer this question, we must look at Jesus, for, as I wrote above, Jesus is our Prototype, and it is He, Who, in His humanness, models for all of us what it means to be an image-bearer of Elohiym.
In the scriptures, we read in Hebrews 12:2a, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith"; and, along the same lines, in 2 Corinthians 3:18, we read, " But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." To reclaim our true humanity as image-bearers, we must look unto Jesus intently and see Him as He is. As marvelous as it might seem, we become like that which we focus upon. Unlike any other machines or organisms on earth, we can service ourselves, evolve, and shape how and why we operate the way we do. Ultimately, the key to this shaping is found in Jesus, and, more specifically, in our "seeing" (or "beholding") Him as He is. For, as the verse above in 1 Corinthians 3 indicates, transformation within us occurs as we do this very thing. With all this in mind, I would like to spend the next little while looking a little closer at Jesus, the One Who is, I am convinced, the definitive representation of what God intended for all of us when He made us.
Stay tuned for Part 2!!
Peace...
Dave
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
3:16
Greetings...
Recently, I was thinking about John 3:16, which is, probably, the most famous scripture verse in all the Bible. I mean, when was the last time you saw some dude, all dressed up at a football game on national TV, holding a sign that reads "Leviticus 3:16"? Never? That's what I thought. Anyway, as I was thinking about this very thing, I got to wondering about all the other 3:16s in the Bible. While I was at home sick, yesterday, I compiled all of them (from the NIV) and have provided them below. Below the verses, I share a few random, unfiltered thoughts that arose while I was doing this little exercise.
Grace and peace to all of you,
Dave
Genesis 3:16: To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Exodus 3:16: Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
Leviticus 3:16: The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s.
Numbers 3:16: So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 3:16: But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites.
Joshua 3:16: the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
Judges 3:16: Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing.
Ruth 3:16: When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?” Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her
1 Samuel 3:16: but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
2 Samuel 3:16: Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back home!” So he went back.
1 Kings 3:16: Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
2 Kings 3:16: and he said, “This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches.
1 Chronicles 3:16: The successors of Jehoiakim: Jehoiachin his son, and Zedekiah.
2 Chronicles 3:16: He made interwoven chains and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates and attached them to the chains.
Ezra 3:16 does not exist.
Nehemiah 3:16: Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.
Esther 3:16 does not exist.
Job 3:16: Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day?
Psalm 3:16 does not exist.
Proverbs 3:16: Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
Ecclesiastes 3:16: And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
Song of Songs 3:16 does not exist.
Isaiah 3:16: The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
Jeremiah 3:16: In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “men will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.
Lamentations 3:16: He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust.
Ezekiel 3:16: At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me:
Daniel 3:16: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
Hosea 3:16 does not exist.
Joel 3:16: The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of israel.
Amos 3:16 does not exist.
Obadiah 3:16 does not exist.
Jonah 3:16 does not exist.
Micah 3:16 does not exist.
Nahum 3:16: You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more than the stars of the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away.
Habakkuk 3:16: I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
Zephaniah 3:16: On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.
Haggai 3:16 does not exist.
Zechariah 3:16 does not exist.
Malachi 3:16: Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.
Matthew 3:16: As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.
Mark 3:16: These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);
Luke 3:16: John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
John 3:16 does not exist. (Just kidding.)
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Acts 3:16: By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
Romans 3:16: ruin and misery mark their ways,
1 Corinthians 3:16: Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
2 Corinthians 3:16: But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Galatians 3:16: The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
Ephesians 3:16: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Philippians 3:16: Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
1 Thessalonians 3:16 does not exist.
2 Thessalonians 3:16: Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
1 Timothy 3:16: Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
Titus 3:16 does not exist.
Philemon 3:16 does not exist.
Hebrews 3:16: Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?
James 3:16: For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
1 Peter 3:16: keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
2 Peter 3:16: He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
1 John 3:16: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
2 John 3:16 does not exist.
3 John 3:16 does not exist.
Jude 3:16 does not exist.
Revelation 3:16: So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Some Unfiltered Thoughts on this Exercise
Recently, I was thinking about John 3:16, which is, probably, the most famous scripture verse in all the Bible. I mean, when was the last time you saw some dude, all dressed up at a football game on national TV, holding a sign that reads "Leviticus 3:16"? Never? That's what I thought. Anyway, as I was thinking about this very thing, I got to wondering about all the other 3:16s in the Bible. While I was at home sick, yesterday, I compiled all of them (from the NIV) and have provided them below. Below the verses, I share a few random, unfiltered thoughts that arose while I was doing this little exercise.
Grace and peace to all of you,
Dave
Genesis 3:16: To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Exodus 3:16: Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
Leviticus 3:16: The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s.
Numbers 3:16: So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 3:16: But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites.
Joshua 3:16: the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
Judges 3:16: Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing.
Ruth 3:16: When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?” Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her
1 Samuel 3:16: but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
2 Samuel 3:16: Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back home!” So he went back.
1 Kings 3:16: Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
2 Kings 3:16: and he said, “This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches.
1 Chronicles 3:16: The successors of Jehoiakim: Jehoiachin his son, and Zedekiah.
2 Chronicles 3:16: He made interwoven chains and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates and attached them to the chains.
Ezra 3:16 does not exist.
Nehemiah 3:16: Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.
Esther 3:16 does not exist.
Job 3:16: Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day?
Psalm 3:16 does not exist.
Proverbs 3:16: Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
Ecclesiastes 3:16: And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
Song of Songs 3:16 does not exist.
Isaiah 3:16: The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
Jeremiah 3:16: In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “men will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.
Lamentations 3:16: He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust.
Ezekiel 3:16: At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me:
Daniel 3:16: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
Hosea 3:16 does not exist.
Joel 3:16: The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of israel.
Amos 3:16 does not exist.
Obadiah 3:16 does not exist.
Jonah 3:16 does not exist.
Micah 3:16 does not exist.
Nahum 3:16: You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more than the stars of the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away.
Habakkuk 3:16: I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
Zephaniah 3:16: On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.
Haggai 3:16 does not exist.
Zechariah 3:16 does not exist.
Malachi 3:16: Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.
Matthew 3:16: As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.
Mark 3:16: These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);
Luke 3:16: John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
John 3:16 does not exist. (Just kidding.)
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Acts 3:16: By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
Romans 3:16: ruin and misery mark their ways,
1 Corinthians 3:16: Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
2 Corinthians 3:16: But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Galatians 3:16: The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
Ephesians 3:16: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Philippians 3:16: Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
1 Thessalonians 3:16 does not exist.
2 Thessalonians 3:16: Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
1 Timothy 3:16: Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
Titus 3:16 does not exist.
Philemon 3:16 does not exist.
Hebrews 3:16: Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?
James 3:16: For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
1 Peter 3:16: keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
2 Peter 3:16: He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
1 John 3:16: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
2 John 3:16 does not exist.
3 John 3:16 does not exist.
Jude 3:16 does not exist.
Revelation 3:16: So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Some Unfiltered Thoughts on this Exercise
- For some reason, the verse 2 Kings 3:16 keeps hitting my funny-bone (kind of like the Kenny G make it stop guy on "Psych"): and he said, “This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches.
- The verse in 1 Kings 3:16 is also kind of funny: Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
- Isn't it interesting how the 45+ verses above, when taken together, give you a smattering of the histroy and flavor for the whole Bible as well as for each book within the Bible. I just find that kind of thing fascinating.
- Chapter and verse references were not included with the original writing.
- Don't build an argument or a theological view point around a single verse, and don't string two verses together to make an argument either (Believe me, I have heard this done in sermons before.). A wonderful example of such a thing would be the stringing together of 1 Kings 3:16 with 2 Kings 3:16: Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. And he said, "This is what the Lord says: 'Make this valley full of ditches.'"
- What does John 3:15 say? that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."
- Okay...how'bout 3:17? For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
- Regarding the above, I had to look them up.
- My favorite verse from the above (after John 3:16) is 1 John 3:16, which reads, This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
- The only verse from the above, besides John 3:16, that I had memorized prior to doing this exercise is Colossians 3:16, which reads, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
- To me, the most disturbing of any of the above is Revelation 3:16, which reads, So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)