Category: Humility

Rise

Do not attempt to burrow deeper within yourself to escape the cold rain or hot sun – but rise to the surface, that the water of the Spirit and the light of the Father and the tilling of the Son may enable you to grow.

Meditation Thought: “What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-43)

The seed is tiny, vulnerable, subject to many dangers. But as it changes and grows, it becomes more resistant to what would destroy it, and eventually becomes very strong.

And so must you choose to allow the good of the Kingdom to nourish you after you die to self, which is the beginning of the seed changing into the form which was originally intended as a mature manifestation.

Do not attempt to burrow deeper within yourself to escape the cold rain or hot sun – but rise to the surface, that the water of the Spirit and the light of the Father and the tilling of the Son may enable you to grow, to thrive and to be the beautiful plant to be used for healing, for nourishing, and to be fulfilling not only the purpose for which you were crated, but fulfilling the purpose for which those whom you are healing and nourishing were created.

The Lord’s Prayer

You have touched me, softened me – yet strengthened me.

Meditation Thought: “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)

My Prayer: My Father, who art in heaven – and in me – and in my family, my neighbor, and my enemy – enable me to perceive Thy will, obey Thy will, and rejoice in obeying it to the point of being numbed to all pain that once could have kept me from having the courage to do it – for my life now has meaning only through you. You have touched me, softened me – yet strengthened me, when I can do Your will, I know that You re-shape me into whatever you need at that given moment, at that given time, and that given place to be the perfect expression of Your ministering, healing Love. And so I pray – earnestly, by as act of my will – that Your will be done in my life here on earth and in heaven too. In Jesus Precious Name, I pray. Amen.

The Constitution of the Kingdom

To know the love and power of God in my life is wonderful for me, but only if I pass along the grandeur of it in the living out of my days will it bring glory to the Father and fulfillment of the purpose of the Holy Spirit.

Meditation Thought: “The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but the one who prophesies edifies the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:4)

There is no limit on the love of God or the knowledge of God. There is no limit on the variety of ways of God expressing His love and His knowledge.

We are to be so in tune with the will of God that we can know, moment by moment, the manner in which He desires to express His love and His knowledge to us and through us. For He desires to edify (instruct and improve) us and the church, not one or the other, for one is part of the other, as both are part of God.

The kingdom of God is not divided – the Kingdom is unified – unified, but always in a state of flux – as each part is changed as it opens itself to new revelation of love and knowledge, so it affects another part, and the Kingdom, though still the same, is also changed. The original constitution of the Kingdom remains constant, but the living out of the expression of that constitution is unique for every creature and for every moment of time and for every place and for every situation.

To edify oneself through prayer – either in known language or language of the spirit, through words or through deeds, through ministering or being the recipient of ministering – whatever the expression of the edification of the individual, it must be translated into the edification of the whole Kingdom, in one form or another, at some time, if it is to fulfill its total purpose and meaning.

To know the love and power of God in my life is wonderful for me, but only if I pass along the grandeur of it in the living out of my days will it bring glory to the Father and fulfillment of the purpose of the Holy Spirit. And only when the translation is made by the power of the indwelling Spirit, from individual to corporate, is my environment changed into what I need to fulfill the purpose for which the Father created me: both for the fulfillment of my own purpose, and for the goal of the church as the Body: the reconciling of the world to the Father.

Love Is… and Is Not

Love is delight in giving, discipline, reaching out, accepting love from another, trusting God.

Meditation Thought: “Love is patient and kind… rejoices in right… bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4,6,7 paraphrased)

Love is taking delight in giving, not receiving. Love is discipline to do as you know you aught to do – even when you don’t want to. Love is reaching out to offer help despite knowing that you may get your hand bitten instead of shaken. Love is acting according to God’s will, not self-will. The resulting clear conscience is a catalyst which makes it easier to express even more love, in more ways.

Love is accepting love from another – not ignoring it if it isn’t from someone you don’t really care about, not rejecting it because of a previous hurt, not questioning it if you are puzzled by it, and not being fearful of it because you have feelings of shame and guilt and these might have to be put out in the open.

Love is trusting God, who created us and who is Love, to overcome any problems (as we see the situation) that might result from our stepping out in faith to love.

All. Yes, All.

All must have the opportunity of knowing that the way back is known and I desire that they come.

Meditation Thought: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:7)

“Take the direction and power of My Spirit and embrace it, absorb it, allow it to permeate every part of your being – spiritual, mental, emotional – yield to My Spirit, for by being pliable you will be conformed to My Image by My Spirit. As you are conformed to My Image, you expand My love to the world, you minister to My children, you radiate peace and joy and understanding. And so it is with everyone who seeks My will, who desires to move forward in the journey of faith, in the fellowship of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and the Body.

My Spirit is manifested in infinite ways, through infinite creatures, in infinite circumstances – but all for one purpose: to reconcile every one of My beloved children to Me. Be My helper – seek out My lost lambs, and bring them back to Me. For until each is sought, and each is found, I am not content. All may not choose to follow you back to Me – but all must have the opportunity of knowing that the way back is known and I desire that they come.”

Constantly & Enthusiastically

To be humble is to become teachable. If we are teachable, God will teach us gently, thoroughly, and swiftly.

Meditation Thought: “But if we indeed judge ourselves truly, we should not be judged.” (1 Corinthians 11:31)

“Judge truly”. This is possible only in light of God’s revelation of Truth to us, that we may compare ourselves to the Pure Eternal Truth: the image of the Father, as exhibited by the Son, taught by the Holy Spirit, and revealed through the Word.

If we are willing to risk comparing ourselves to this Truth, we become humble – and to be humble is to become teachable. If we are teachable, God will teach us gently, thoroughly, and swiftly, thus fulfilling His purposes for us more readily.

However, if we deceive ourselves, either by comparing ourselves to something other than Pure, Complete Truth, or by mis-evaluating our own selves as we compare ourselves to the Truth, this constitutes rebellion in the refusing to humble ourselves enough to seek a true evaluation. And rebellion against God is the – willingly or unwillingly – with knowledge or in ignorance – to join in Satan’s plans to make us allies and to alienate us from the Father.

Thus we must constantly, and enthusiastically ingest the Word, pray for the Father’s will and guidance, seek to know every facet of Jesus Christ, and prepare ourselves to be worthy containers for holding the Spirit if we are to be competent judges of ourselves.

Am I Willing?

You can trust Him to re-make you more beautifully and completely in His image.

Meditation Thought: “…let each person lead the life (or walk in the way) that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” (1 Corinthians 7:17)

If you do not lead the life needed to complete the Plan of God, the Plan will not reach the perfection of God’s image. This is the crux: will you be willing to subject your total self to His total Plan? For you will feel the pinch of others being crowded against you as movement takes place to do cleansing, and building, and rearranging in order to undo the mischief done by self-will and Satan’s exploitation of that self-will.

If you can be soft, pliable, yielding – then God can re-shape you, move you and energize you to conform to whatever He needs you to be. If you can trust Him to re-work you – not only from what you were some time ago – but what you are at any given moment, you will have peace and joy in any circumstances, you will know the delight of being a light in the darkness, leaven in the bread, salt of the earth, the Father’s child not only made – but more beautifully and completely re-made in His image.

As a child can grow to look like, think like, and act like his father as time goes by, so you, by the willingness of your heart and the power of the Spirit released fully by Jesus’ obedience unto death, will bit by bit become more like your Father.

Do not tarry, but keep the conscious thought at all times to yield, to seek through diligence in pursuit of Word and Spirit – that the life-saving surgery, the surgery needed for improved health, and the cosmetic surgery all may be performed and completed to God’s glory and your joy.

Let Me Not Despair

No circumstance shall thwart God’s love, God’s grace, God’s will.

Meditation Thought: ““And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him from all his afflictions. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who put him in charge of Egypt and [of] his entire household.” (Acts 7:9-10)

“sold him… but God… rescued him, gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh… who made him governor… and over all his household.”

No circumstance shall thwart God’s love, God’s grace, God’s will.

No person shall rule over God.

If we know this, if we set our trust, and our obedience on the course of God’s will, we shall not only be at peace in all places, in all circumstances, at all times, but we shall see harm transformed to good, hate transformed to love, ignorance of God transformed to knowledge of God, and famine yield to plenty. For nothing is impossible with God. (See Luke 1:37)

My prayer: “Lord, take my spirit, my mind, my body, my emotions, and all resources, both material and unseen, and conform them to your will this day. Let me not despair if it appears that I have been ‘sold to Egypt’. If I trust You wherever I am, whatever I do, You will work good for me that I might work good for many to Your glory and my joy.” Amen.

Which Way

Through faith we are one with God – not equal with God, but enmeshed with God.

Meditation Thought: “ The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building…. Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:8-9, 16)

Through faith we are one with God – not equal with God, but enmeshed with God.

What we think, what we say, what we do, cannot be separated from God: it represents Him to the world, it does His work – or hinders it – it spreads His love – or represses it – it reveals His nature – or conceals it – it changes directions of people – toward seeking God – or toward fleeing from Him.

The following was perceived as a personal message but I believe it is also meant for any of us that seek to follow Jesus: “Oh, My child, sense My love, receive My mercy, heed My admonitions and I will bless you and all who know you. Be sensitive to your greater knowledge of Me when ministering, and aware of how little you know of Me when ministering. The Spirit indwelling shall guide you surely if you provide the joyful atmosphere of love, obedience, service and seeking of Truth. ‘Fear not, for lo I am with you always.’ “

Graceful Yielding

‘There’ in the palm of His hand, close to His heart

Meditation Thought: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)

Nothing is too hard for the Lord – but He has created in love creatures who can facilitate His works, or obstruct them and slow down His perfect timing if He chooses to allow them to do so as a means of teaching. And this seems to be Standard Operating Procedure.

“Seek first the kingdom and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33) is not only a wonderful promise to us – but a graceful yielding on God’s side to let us choose to seek the kingdom.

Nothing is too hard for the Lord – sometimes we just think it is because what we desire to happen when we desire it to happen doesn’t occur. But God knows our hearts, and all of the facets of the situation – including where He wants us to be, and what He needs to do to get us there – ‘There’ in the palm of His hand, close to His heart – willingly staying close and enjoying it and desiring it above all else.

Whether we perceive it early or late, or not at all, that is His aim – He states it in His Word, He works it in His will, He empowers it through His Spirit, and He implants it in our heart.