Category: Encourage

New Beginning

A new beginning! Oh, how we rejoice!

Meditation Thought: “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ” (Luke 24:45-47)

A new beginning! Oh, how we rejoice whenever a new understanding has made us long to undo what our old understanding has wrought, and then the opportunity is presented to negate the old results, and start fresh with the new understanding!

Christ has brought us a new beginning. But we must first negate all of the wrong attitudes and actions and results that permeated our life before the revelation of Christ to us that we can start over. We rectify what we can, and ask forgiveness for the rest. And that is the end of it. We can accept the past as no longer being a millstone around our neck because Jesus removed it the moment we sincerely requested Him to do so.

We are as born again: we can have the innocence and enthusiasm and energy of children combined with the wisdom of our loving God working in our lives. The results should be miracles!

Why do we restrict God’s work by refusing to believe the good news? We hinder God by our stubborn clinging to the “oughts and shoulds” that other interpreters of the Word and the Spirit have either imposed upon us or we have sought out of laziness in learning for ourselves who God is, and what He wants to do in and through our life.

The only way to know who god is and what He wants to do in each person is to personally so search His Word and seek His Spirit that we receive His particular words and suggestions intended exclusively for us.

Fellowship is good and needed, shared information is good and needed – but the only way a child can have close companionship and understanding with his parent is to come to spend time and to converse honestly and deep from the heart with the parent. No matter what his brothers or sisters tell him about their parent, it is not going to bring them into intimate fellowship. It takes personal contact, with mutual communication to accomplish this.

Mysterious Hope

We glory in the works of Christ being done through our willing spirit, willing mind, willing emotions, willing heart (our self-will), and willing body.

Meditation Thought: “I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:25-27)

You think you know – until more knowledge is revealed, necessitating a re-evaluation of your depth and fullness of knowledge.

How gently are we brought down from our place of arrogance, if we are willing to learn. We are precipitated most unpleasantly if we are stubborn and insist “we know it all; we don’t need God.” But – always, always, are the opportunities presented to learn the “glory of the mystery which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”.

Yes – only when we are so small, is there room for Christ to have the larger portion of our life. Only if we are willing to be “last”, to be humble, to serve, to listen, to heed, to give, to forgive, is our heart softened enough that Christ can shape it as needed to do the Father’s will, that the Father may be glorified, that Christ may be glorified, that the Holy Spirit may be filling us and pleased to do so – and so are we glorified by association. We have no glory of ourselves – but we do glory in the works of Christ being done through our willing spirit, willing mind, willing emotions, willing heart (our self-will), and willing body.

Kingdom at Hand

…unfettered love, understanding, compassion, wisdom, purity, righteousness, joy and hope.

Meditation Thought: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

The time of growing, of labor, and birth is over! That which was longed for is here: God upon earth!!! God in each one upon earth, but when recognized as being present, then does a new birth occur: a birth of unfettered love, understanding, compassion, wisdom, purity, righteousness, joy and hope.

To know that God is within us – a part of every part of us, is to transform our thinking, our actions, our emotions, and our reactions.

No longer do we believe when we are ‘attacked’ that the ‘best defense is a good offense’ – but that the best defense (the one that will benefit both ourselves and our ‘attacker’) is to love him who seeks to distress us: to love him in ways pleasing to him (fulfilling his needs, in pure, righteous manners. of course).

As long as we have in our minds a concept of ‘defense and offense’ we are continuing a battle and coping with an enemy. When we are thinking in terms of loving our attacker we have already won the battle – and so has he. Enemies no longer – but friends, seeking to use energies formerly to hurt each other now to help each other. The kingdom is at hand!

Authority Delegated and Received

In the very act of yielding authority to God, the paradox is that you shall have authority.

Meditation Thought: “Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority… (Luke 19:17)

Testing – testing – testing: The pattern is the same, in all of nature, in the realm of the spirit and in the realm of the physical. First, there is a little growth – then the testing of a storm or stress; if there is enough strength to weather it, then growth continues.

As small challenges are met and overcome, larger ones can be met and overcome.

And the kingdom needs “overcomers”. In fact, the very definition of a citizen of the kingdom could be one who overcomes, through the knowledge and power gained by humility based on the recognition of the inadequacy of self and the adequacy of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit within – and the willingness and act of yielding authority to Them. In the very act of yielding authority to God, the paradox is that you shall have authority, not only beyond that sought before the knowledge of God, but beyond your previous and present comprehension.

This authority is yours – but it is yours because, through your yielding, you have earned the right to have the power of your Creator delegated to you, to serve His purposes, which are at the same time, the desires of your heart. This is possible because you have yielded your heart to Christ, and His desires are always in accord with the will of the Father, and are executed with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Look! The Kingdom of God!

The Kingdom is here, in the midst of you – inside of you.

Meditation Thought: “…behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke 17:21)

Behold: Look. Notice. Observe! The Kingdom is here, in the midst of you – inside of you. The Kingdom is not outside of you and outside of others and near all of you – it is within each, and it is as a magnetic force drawing all together. As the parts of the Body of Christ are more closely brought to one another, so are they able to more capably affect healing and superb performance in one another.

Never fear to draw near to anyone – for it is the Kingdom within each which seeks to bring you to a person. Even though this may not be recognized by the other – yet – you can know the Truth and it makes you free to move everywhere without fear, and in confidence and joy and anticipation and hope and sure knowledge, in wisdom, and with love. Is this state of being not a perfect description of “The Kingdom”?

Authority Within

You do not know, as the Spirit knows, what is in their minds and their hearts.

Meditation Thought: “…do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12: 11,12)

Prepare your mind and your heart attitude through diligent study of the Word, and worship and prayer that the way is open for the Holy Spirit to flow freely and unceasingly throughout every part of you: spirit, mind, body. In this way can the Spirit direct you how or what you are to answer.

The authorities of the world, though they know it not, have no authority over one who is filled with the Spirit. And you do not know, as the Spirit knows, what is in their minds and their hearts. Therefore, the Spirit must have full control of you in order that the Father’s will may be done to the glory of the Father, for working good for you and for giving opportunity to the authorities to come to the Father.

Falter not in hours or days, when life seems hard and stale,
But ingest the glory of the Word,
Transforming mind, and giving hope:
When the peaks and valleys come,
Then the Spirit follows each contour, great and small,
Aiding you, guiding you, protecting you.
For the Word in your mind has released the Spirit in your heart,
And the Spirit reveals to you the mystery, the glory –
And the unfailing sweetness of the Father’s love.

The Best Gift Ever!

You need only ask…

Meditation Thought: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

You delight in giving your children what you can, but your heavenly Father is able to give a gift ranking above all other gifts: the gift of His love and power actually transferred to be implanted within His beloved children. You need only ask and you will receive.

Fear Banished

You cannot fully concentrate on two opposites at the same time: therefore, if you focus clearly on God and His revelations you cannot at the same time focus on fear.

Meditation Thought: ““Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” (Luke 8:50)

“Do not fear” – do not look to anything but God – then you shall observe nothing to fear! Believe in God, seek to know God and make Him intimately involved in your life.

You cannot fully concentrate on two opposites at the same time: therefore, if you focus clearly on God and His revelations you cannot at the same time focus on fear.

Your choice of focusing determines your present appraisal of your situation as well as determining future situations. For “they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

The Paradox of Life & Joy

It is encased in the solid, protected container of love that we find courage to move into places we once feared.

Meditation Thought: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)

The fullness of time brings the fullness of God: His Word fulfilled, His Will fulfilled, His Purposes fulfilled. The Creator must wait for the maturity of the created to fulfill the purposes of the creation – reflecting the meaning of life to both the creator and that created.

And so came the Word, the law, the grace, the truth all manifested in the flesh, that the meaning of life might be revealed fully to those who by choice and by faith, seek the light, seek the inner core as well as the outer surface, seek the unseen as well as the seen, seek the subtle as well as the obvious, seek to know with the heart as well as the mind, who seek God rather than be limited to being self-seeking.

For the paradox is true and to be understood: He who seeks to be last shall be first, he who gives of his life shall find his LIFE, and he whose purpose is to create happiness in the hearts of his fellow creatures, has happiness thrust into his own heart while his concentration is away from his heart.

JOY shall be his as he realizes the magnificence, the depth, the glory, the sweetness, the extent of the Father’s love for him – the lengths to which the Father will go to express that love with the show of the tiniest response to that love. The realization is awesome, fulfills the longing of the heart, bringing the ecstasy of long-awaited hopes and dreams being brought into reality; a confirmation of knowing what had only been sought.

It is encased in the solid, protected container of love that we find courage to move into places we once feared, where we once had no place, where we can now move effectively because we have the secret knowledge in our heart that whatever befalls us we are protected by love, insulated by it from undue hurt – we are equipped to do our task, and therefore confident as we move to do it: and this is the key to the task being brought to a successful conclusion (pleasing to the Father and the Son and the Spirit and the created).

Faith, hope and love responding to Love are the working of the Father’s will into all eternity; how can we refuse to be a part of that?!

Jackal, Ostrich or Chosen?

Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.

Meditation Thought: “Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.
 The wild beasts will honor me,
    the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
     the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.”

(Isaiah 43:19-21)

Jackals refers to deceitful people and ostriches to those who refuse to see the truth – but God’s righteousness and omnipotence will bring them to honor Him.

“Chosen people” – He would have all of His creation be His ‘chosen people’ – but some will not choose to be His chosen people and thus will forfeit that prerogative.