Spiritcode

The Logos

For four hundred years before Jesus came to Earth, God had prepared the then known world to be conquered, ruled and assimilated by the Greeks, under Alexander the Great. The Greek territories absorbed the conquered cultures and developed philosophical principles of government and culture and thought (Socrates, Plato Aristotle). The one overarching thought that encompassed the meaning, wonder and design of an ordered Universe was the concept of the Logos.

It was a belief that Logos was some form of intentional idea/principle (abstract?!) that can be seen everywhere; it made up the earth, trees and even us as humans, and logos does not just give everything form; it also gives it order. For humans, this means that logos determines who is who and who is placed where, because logos, the immutable essence of life and underlying master plan for all events, encompasses the entire world and, therefore, constitutes the ideal way to order it. In fact, logos is perpetually working to move the universe forward in the best way possible.

This Stoic philosophical thought meant that even when people went through difficult periods of life, they kept faith that they fitted into the grand plan of logos, since everything that happens is answerable to and ordered by what is right. This word was also the belief system of the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius (contained in those thoughts above).

For the Jewish Nation over that same four hundred year period (called the ‘silent years), after the book of Malachi was written, the last book of the Old Testament, The Jewish people had no Prophets, and no living Word from God. They had the Torah, and other Scriptures, which they endlessly studied and debated.

This was the state of the mindset of that world that Jesus was born into.
So the following Scripture by the Apostle John astonished the then known world, both Jews and Greeks;

John 1:2-5 In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word (Logos) was with God, and the Word (Logos) was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
14. And the Word (Logos) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
16. And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law (Torah) was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

To the Greeks the Logos was a powerful concept, as described above; it wasn’t thought of as a person…
To the Jews the Word was the Torah, the Commandments, the Statutes, the Covenant; Words written by God. They immersed themselves in the Word and in this way they were bound to God and his ways. (Psalm 119).
But the Gospel was that LOGOS had arrived, a person, Jesus Christ, born of The Spirit, the living seed of life from above. And Jesus caused us to be bound to God, joined to God through himself, the Logos, the creative fulness of God’s love and wisdom and power for good in the Universe. This was the new seed of life from Heaven which has been planted in us, the fulness of God - born to grow and mature and bear the fruit of God’s ways.

Jesus told them he was Logos as the seed of the word, and he told the Jews he was more than Torah
John 5:38 But you do not have His word (Logos) abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
1Peter 1:23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word (Logos) of God;

We allow, by our conscious faith and thanksgiving, this living Logos to form and shape us, filling our minds and hearts. (John 5:38)
The parable of the sower (Matthew 13) speaks of the growth of that seed, that depends upon the heart response to the logos, and the conscious attention we give to the cultivation of that seed. There are four types of heart responses – disordered mind, distressed heart, materialistic distraction, or hearts of faith in Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resurrection and the King of Justice

When Jesus rose from the dead and went to Heaven, God as man entered the throne room of Heaven.
Psalm 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Jeremiah 9:24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices lovingkindness, righteousness and justice, in the earth. For in these things I delight…

Jesus as God and man came back to the earth for forty days to show that he had indeed risen from the dead
Jesus met with his disciples and many others (500+) with some believing and some doubting. They gathered in rooms and also at the seashore and ate fish with Jesus after they had been fishing. This was a time when they listened to Jesus talk about the coming of The Holy Spirit and it was the time for Peter to resolve the guilt and shame of his denial of Jesus, and to confirm his love for him. It was also the time when he was forgiven and lovingly commissioned for his Apostolic leadership ministry of the Gospel.

After the forty days were over Jesus ascended bodily back to Heaven to rule over his Kingdom. and then ten days later the Holy Spirit was poured out, and then the ascended Jesus could make his heavenly place a heavenly place in our hearts, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We could now share a heavenly life with them in the earth, because only then did the heavenly Kingdom rule in the earth. We were also given the heavenly place at his side, seated together with him, where he rules as King of the Universe.

Jeremiah 9:24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices lovingkindness, righteousness and justice, in the earth. For in these things I delight…

WHERE IS GOD’S JUSTICE IN THE EARTH?
God charged the kings of Israel to rule justly. The archetype is Solomon early in his reign (1Kings 3:9).
These three things that God has always exercised in the earth he now does as Jesus, the King of kings.
lovingkindness (kindness, compassion) and righteousness (morals, ethics, integrity) are probably more often discussed than justice (Rescue, recovery, restoration and resolving). Unfortunately justice in a democracy is inconsistent and arbitrary.
We are his representatives to exercise these same things on behalf of the king of Heaven in the earth.
You are the place on earth where Heaven meets a struggling humanity that needs justice from those who serve them justly. Each of us has a role in life with a sphere of influence in which we can do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before our God.
Just means trust. We should all put the needs of those in our care above personal advantage.
1Kings 3:9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days
You are that place on earth, where prayers are answered and the supernatural witness of God is established. (Acts 4:33)
Jesus said he was the Resurrection and the life. Are we now willing to be his Resurrection and the life? It is not just His resurrection – It is ours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living in time the why and the how

conduct yourselves throughout your moment to moment sojourn here in reverential fear.’ (1 Peter 1:17 Chronos time: sequential time as a succession of moments). ‘…I trust in You…my times are in your hand’ (Psalm 31:14/15)
Time is a construct designed by the Creator for a creature made in His likeness. That is, the creature has an ‘I am’ which is a reflection of Creator’s ‘I AM.’ We are analogous to Him. We are spirit beings, but our spirit has been given a ‘carriage’ to house it and carry it through the Time realm in which it lives—realm that has the appearance of substance and permanence. God made it to appear solid and to respond as though solid. But it is of Time—temporal, and indeed temporary! Quantum Physics is revealing it is almost an apparition; like a hologram. It is comprised of particles, so small as to give the impression of solidity. But those particles behave in ways that defy Newtonian physics altogether.
We, and the apparently solid world around us, (what many call the ‘real’ world) are not as ‘solid’ as we think! And, not only is Time a construct, but Quantum Physics demonstrates that, at the very core of things, UNCERTAINTY or RANDOM-NESS appears to rule! One view is that time, like light and gravity, is granular…made of particles! Particles that keep appearing to form what we call TIME. But however, we understand time, I want to share about living IN it (since we are made for it!)
Definition: Time is the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.
Creatures of Time: (The man in the clock) We cannot create time. Time doesn’t so much pass, as though we were detached observers watching it go by; rather, we are WITHIN it as the events that constitute Time occur, instant after instant, providing, moment after moment after moment a place and a space in which ‘I’ exist and am ‘within’. Moments in which ‘events’ (things) can, and do, occur. So…where does time come from?
Could it be that there is no ‘future’ unless God keeps creating it; no next instant or no tomorrow unless He makes one!? Time is not a ‘right’. It is a moment to moment gift to be stewarded wisely. In my view, time only exists because God keeps on creating it, an instant at a time! Scientists speculate over what it is. Some say it’s continuous, like a flowing stream having an upstream and a downstream which we enter and are carried along. Others argue that just as light is ‘granular’ or ‘particulate’—so is time—and that the particles are infinitely small.
Whatever it is, we have been made to live in and on, the directional ‘arrow’ known as Time. Directional, because in our experience, it only ever goes forward.
Time is ahead of us, yet we can never know ‘ahead’. If it’s a stream, you can’t see downstream—and only to a limited extent, upstream (in our memory). We may speculate or guess, or hope...but not know. None of us knows...but One! The all-knowing (and all-caring) One.
Why do we not know? Why is Time like this? Time is the construct, the created space potentially in front of us, in which events or things can, and may occur, but we have no idea what will occur. Why is it then, that forever ahead of us is a vacuum of…UNCERTAINTY?
The reason we are not permitted to know is quite simple: we were actually made for something quite counter-intuitive to our fallen condition. TRUST. Not in anything within time, but in the One beyond and outside it! Made to know, not what is ahead, but Who is ahead—the Provider and Master of Time. His expectation is that the creature will trust the Creator. Humanly speaking, the only thing ahead of every one of us is, UNCERTAINTY; the only certainty is uncertainty! Unless we know the One who is Certainty! Uncertainty is used by our enemy to breed anxiety, OR, by the One who is Certainty, to provide and cultivate, Peace. Isaiah 26:3 says this, ‘You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.’ The Hebrew there translated ‘perfect peace’ is SHALOM SHALOM!
Yahweh-Yireh: Abraham discovered this and called this One who is Certainty, ‘THE-SEEING-AHEAD-LORD’, Yahweh-Yireh. Pro-Vision (pre-vision) simply means to see ahead—and that’s what He does. He asks us to trust Him to be our eyes ahead, like the guide on a rough mountain path who is twenty or thirty metres ahead of us, making a safe way for us. That’s our Certainty! Sounds like a big ask? Perhaps so, but to those who allow Him to be that and will walk in that, comes calm assurance, freedom from fretfulness, loss of anxiety. It’s how He wants us to live. In His ‘rest’, in this place called Time, moment after moment. Yahweh Yireh got to that mountain in Moriah well before Abraham and Isaac. He was there, waiting for them to arrive and when they did He revealed Himself in the moment! That is how He works…if we trust!
No Option but Trust! People do try to find (or manufacture) certainty in other things; all kinds of ‘things’; things we were not made to trust. Money, recognition, fame, power, ability, intellect, prognostications—none of which, as Jesus said, can add anything or provide restful carefree-ness. He talked of the ‘deceitfulness of wealth’ and Paul of the ‘UNCERTAINTY of riches.’ ‘Things’ are of the same temporal nature as us! Why trust them? None of these things KNOW! Only One knows—and asks us to travel the Time journey with Him.
Time (and its Maker) call for Trust. Uncertainty—the vacuum ahead—brings responses from every person: attempts to mitigate uncertainty/apprehension with trust in temporal ‘things’ OR, trust in Him, resulting in ‘peace that surpasses understanding’. Behind the UNCERTAINTY and RANDOM-NESS that appear to govern the universe at its smallest component level, is an Ultimate Government. Yes, the Uncertainty is all under Control! (‘By Him all things consist and are held together’! Col. 1:17 & Hebrews 1:3)
His Government is the option for which we were created—it’s called the Kingdom of God. There is a next step and a next after that, but we have to trust Him to have prepared it.
Anxiety and stressfulness put another way is simply, UN-TRUST! To trust Him is to un-trust the other stuff; to die to that and to live in Him! Here’s an old hymn to ponder this week with the Scriptures above…
Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.
Refrain:
Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.
Never a trial that He is not there,
Never a burden that He does not bear,
Never a sorrow that He does not share,
Moment by moment, I’m under His care.
Never a heartache, and never a groan,
Never a teardrop, and never a moan;
Never a danger but there on the throne,
Moment by moment He thinks of His own.
Never a weakness that He doth not feel,
Never a sickness that He cannot heal;
Moment by moment, in woe or in weal,
Jesus my Savior abides with me still.

Ian Heard
www.until-we-see.com
April 14, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

Empowered from above

 

Ephesians 2:6 He raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ.
What does God do through us and to others? He does what is loving, true, and just, and he disciplines our will for the saving of our soul and for the blessing of other people.

Proverbs 3:9 Honour God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves that God corrects; a father's delight is behind all this.

Peter had to learn to have not so many ‘Not so’s Lord’ (Mat16, Luke 22, acts 10)

JOHN 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (Exodus 20:7Do not take The Lord’s name in vain…)

Philippians 4:13 …I can do all things through Christ who empowers me (endynamoo)

Jeremiah 9:24 I'm God, and I act in loyal love. I do what's right and set things right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things.

We are empowered to defeat the powers of darkness from above.

Daniel 10:12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the spirit kings of Persia.

Ephesians 1:19 and know the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ephesians 2:6 He raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ.
What does God do through us and to others? He does what is loving, true, and just, and he disciplines our will for the saving of our soul and for the blessing of other people.

Proverbs 3:9 Honour God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves that God corrects; a father's delight is behind all this.

Peter had to learn to have not so many ‘Not so’s Lord’ (Mat16, Luke 22, acts 10)

JOHN 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (Exodus 20:7Do not take The Lord’s name in vain…)

Philippians 4:13 …I can do all things through Christ who empowers me (endynamoo)

Jeremiah 9:24 I'm God, and I act in loyal love. I do what's right and set things right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things.

We are empowered to defeat the powers of darkness from above.

Daniel 10:12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the spirit kings of Persia.

Ephesians 1:19 and know the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healing the soul

The mystery of what to do with our pain. Transform it or transmit it.

2Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of an ordered mind.

AN OVERVIEW OF UNHEALED FEAR DRIVEN UNTRUTHS ABOUT US VS.GOD’S TRUTH FOR US

MIND-MINDSET (what are your thoughts about yourself) Spirit of fear -> disordered mind.

I have no self worth, I am a failure, I am deprived, I am a victim, rejected, misunderstood, not heard, not appreciated.

Is it true that you are worthless? How do you know? Has God told you this? So is it really true?

If we think this is really true then this becomes our belief system – and fear has won over faith.

What does God think about you?

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (also Psalm 139:17How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!)

Prov 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Who would you be without that unhealed thought?

LOVE-EMOTIONAL DISPOSITION - what are your feelings about yourself, and how does this make you feel amongst other people?

Resentful, depressed, anxious, frustrated, angry, suspicious, irritated, covetous.

If we fit in to one of these emotions and wear it like clothing upon our soul – fear has won over faith again.

How does God feel about you? (Romans 5:8 – still yet sinners…)

Jeremiah 31:3 “I have loved you, with an everlasting love. with unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. I will restore you, and you will again be happy…

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Who would you be without that unhealed feeling?

POWER-DOING LIFE (What does this make you do to yourself and others)

Put myself (and other people) down, shut myself (and others) out, take a place over other people, punish myself (and others), try to control others.

If we see ourselves doing these things then we need to find the grace of God to see this undone.

Faith cannot live there. What does God do through us and to others?

He does what is loving, true, and just (disciplines our will) Jeremiah 9:24 I'm God, and I act in loyal love. I do what's right and set things right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things.

Philippians 4:13 Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. What would you do without that unhealed attitude?

Proverbs 3:5 Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves that God corrects; a father's delight is behind all this.

Being saved

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (being destroyed), but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (NKJ)

1Peter 1:8 Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 Obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

There is a need for the true ‘Salvation of the soul’ to be experienced by ‘those who believe’ (1Timothy 4:10)

2Corinthians 2:15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing (being ruined, destroyed- ie, not being saved, because of unbelief and ignorance and disobedience).

Salvation (Strong’s Concordance) soteria; feminine of a derivative of 4990 as (properly, abstract) noun; rescue or safety (physically or morally): — deliver, wholeness (health), salvation, save, saving.

What is the most important thing in the Scriptures for the sinner? Many will answer, Salvation. Yet this important term only came into use in the English language about the twelfth century, say eight hundred years ago. It is a purely Latin word. At that time it bore the meanings both of safety or rescue (salvation), and of wholeness or health. The believer's salvation was his wholeness or health. Tyndale, in the year 1526 A.D., was the first one to use the word salvation in the Scriptures, and he used it once only, in John 4:22 ("for salvation commeth of the Jewes.") Salvation occurs not once in the Anglo-Saxon Scriptures (680-900 A.D.), or in Wiclif's version (1380 A.D.). Wiclif always uses the word "health," although he uses the terms "make safe" and "safe." The old word used for the Saviour was Haelend, or "Healer." Not only does He make one safe, but He heals. (Alexander Thomson Born 1889 –Theological writings)

The soul can be kept safe or get destroyed. Being kept safe means our minds are in order, our emotions are at rest and our will is in operation for making right decisions. The opposite of these have consequences of not experiencing salvation. People ask why there’s not enough healing. Let us ask why there is not enough peace, and love, and joy, obedience and commitment. Perhaps if people called on the name of The Lord to ‘be saved’ in their souls, to experience His life flow from the wellspring of life within us, there could break out more physical healing as well.

Salvation is not just a word that describes what Jesus did once for all of humanity (spirit saved), nor does it only describe a future hope that many have for the ages to come (body saved in the resurrection), but it describes His work for you as a Saving Saviour every day and hour of your life. As you put your faith and hope in Him, He is salvation. At every moment in time you are being saved, living in a shared life with Him. He is touched by your feelings, pain, and weakness and helplessness (Hebrews 4:15 - soul), and you are awakened to His compassion and touched by His comfort and joy and strength, flowing from His life to yours.

1Peter 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels long to look into. Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance… Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God, having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simplicity of Christ

2Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent beguiled Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

The serpent deceived Eve into thinking there was something more that God should be doing for her which made her feel suspicious and overlooked. So the trust factor came into play. Is God a good God, does he love me, does he want to bless me, and if he is all that why can’t I have the blessings that I should have? But Eve had every blessing that she could have had. Her fear of missing out damaged her soul and drove her into deception.

The goal of our faith is the salvation of the soul (1Peter 1:9)– the inner spiritual blessings that we are told God has already blessed us with in Christ Ephesians 1:3.

This is the love and peace and joy which is the fruit of the indwelling Spirit, that we can access by faith.

I have seen many other blessings of God’s healing and material provision for my life and I trust him in those things and give thanks. But if I get any sickness should I lose trust in God as a good God and suspect that he is holding out on me, or does it mean I didn’t have enough faith. It can become confusing unless I understand the reality/acceptance and faith Scriptures. 2Corinthians 4:16 – So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
So the simplicity of Christ in our circumstances is; Continuing to pray and at the same time to trust and give thanks to God in all things (Philippians 4:6).

When I continue to give God thanks in all things (1Thessalonians 5:18) I receive the love and peace and joy that makes all things well with my soul.
The most extraordinary Scripture is Job 13:15 …Though he slay me I will yet trust him…

The serpent wanted to destroy Eve’s soul. That is his goal. He doesn’t mind if we get material things. In fact he encourages us to want as much as we can get, any way we can.

If we really understood that we had everything we needed right now, concerning having ALL spiritual blessings in Christ, then we would approach tomorrow with a different frame of mind. We would not be afraid, or worried. We would have a new freedom, a new authority, and a new sense of empowerment. Life would have a new sense of meaning. We would know what it means to be saved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fulness of God - Time

Ephesians 3:18 Ephesians 3:18 That we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…

Being filled with all the fulness of God involves depth and height and breadth, and also length.
Length is the dimension of time in our lives, both that which is behind and that which stretches forth into the future, not to mention the ever-present dimension of now (which is actually all there ever really is)

OUR PAST
The past lives in the dimension of forgiveness and mercy. Remember the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus and was forgiven much. Her past was healed because of forgiveness and mercy, and she was healed because she could now think of herself as God thought of her. Her past was redeemed and her future was in God’s hands. God shows us how to put the past behind us and how to put the future before us.

Paul also had a past that he had to put behind him, knowing the mercy and forgiveness he received from God and knowing he had to also exercise mercy and forgiveness towards himself, and others who had harmed him.
Philippians 3:13 … But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the invitation of God’s future for me in Christ Jesus.

OUR PRESENT
The present moment is eternal time. It is the ever present moment that travels from one experience to the other. The word eternal means age to age. That moment is always full of God’s loving thought and purpose towards us, and his action for us. We can do a reset of time at any time, by receiving mercy and allowing his thought to produce in us the person he created us to be, in his time. Now is always new.

OUR FUTURE
Our future is only a present reality to God – The future belongs to the world of hope, which for us is the world of hope in a good God.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

IN HIS TIME
Our time belongs to God not ourselves
Ps 139:16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

We are God’s thought about us but we try to write another book of our idea of us and it is very often a futile effort. It is one where everything should work out the way we want it to. Did God create us or did we create us and are we still trying to create us – with our thoughts? We can make this lesson painful to ourselves or joyful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depth and height

Ephesians 3:18 That we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…

Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

The only way we can truly appreciate and give thanks to our God who is in the highest place, is to know him as the one who loves us in our lowly place. We are all loved as much as anybody could ever be loved! That shows God’s highest and greatest kind of goodness.
We need never be ashamed of our place of lowliness because he dwells with us in it.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up.

It is in the lowliest place that we can feel most loved, by faith. I pray for this grace to be upon us all.
Luke 7:36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to come to his home for lunch and Jesus accepted the invitation. As they sat down to eat, a woman of the streets heard he was there and brought an exquisite flask filled with expensive perfume. Going in, she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping, with her tears falling down upon his feet; and she wiped them off with her hair and kissed them and poured the perfume on them.
When Jesus' host, a Pharisee, saw what was happening and who the woman was, he said to himself,"This proves that Jesus is no prophet, for if God had really sent him, he would know what kind of woman this one is!"
Then Jesus spoke up and answered his thoughts."Simon,"he said to the Pharisee,"I have something to say to you."
"All right, Teacher,"Simon replied,"go ahead." Then Jesus told him this story:"A man loaned money to two people--$5,000 to one and $500 to the other. But neither of them could pay him back, so he kindly forgave them both, letting them keep the money! Which do you suppose loved him most after that?"
"I suppose the one who had owed him the most,"Simon answered. "Correct,"Jesus agreed.
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,"Look! See this woman kneeling here! When I entered your home, you didn't bother to offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You refused me the customary kiss of greeting, but she has kissed my feet again and again from the time I first came in. You neglected the usual courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has covered my feet with rare perfume. Therefore her sins--and they are many--are forgiven, for she loved me much; but one who is forgiven little, shows little love."
And he said to her,"Your sins are forgiven."Then the men at the table said to themselves,"Who does this man think he is, going around forgiving sins?" And Jesus said to the woman,"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

When we know of our sinfulness and also know of our forgiveness we are being told here that we can exercise the greatest kind of faith and love towards God, than when perhaps we have done something virtuous and noble. This is living in a deep place of the supernatural. This inner spiritual reality is where height meets depth in the most perfect place… This is the glory of the cross and the resurrection.

We can now truly sing Amazing grace…who saved a wretch like me. This is the place where a humble and contrite heart can expect the abundant goodness that comes from; Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…
As we humbly receive this grace in its depth we can also receive Holy Spirit in anointed power. Both areas of faith require the same kind of surrender of self effort to the power that works within us.

This is the place that lets go of the shame of our lowliness (Hebrews 12:2 despising the shame -kataphroneo - set the mind against) and the pride of our excellence and finds faith that knows with certainty that God is at work on our behalf right where we are in our thankfulness. He works in the world of the unseen for his goodness to be known by people with that kind of faith, who place Him in the highest place, as he shares with us our lowliness of heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About love

ABOUT LOVE

The cause of most if not all inner suffering in this world (an imperfect reflection on a human level) because of not receiving love. A person can be told they are loved and even know they are loved, but may be unable to receive that love. That is because they do not believe that they can live up to that love, or they have had love taken away from them and don’t trust in its power or reality any more. Yet everyone needs to know they are loved in order to be able to love. (Love is everywhere)

Love is the most powerful healing force in the universe. Lack of love is the most powerful destructive force in the universe. Somebody asked me the other day what I would answer if someone who didn’t believe in God asked me the question ‘What is God doing for me now?’ My answer is ‘God is loving you with all of his heart.’

God’s love is the value, above all other things that gives meaning to everything else that exists. There is no higher thing. It is the Eternal Reality -The ultimate truth). It is one thing to write ‘Eternity’ on footpaths, but it is another thing to have it written upon the heart (Ecc 3:11). ‘God is love’ is God’s signature written upon the heart of every human being that is born.

What follows on from this is that God loves every person that He created. This is the essence of the Good News – A constant factor in the equation of us and God. This is why Jesus came into the world (Jn 3:16). If we do not understand this, then we will set some other constant factor into the formula of our lives. This other factor will be our life experience, which is the facts and data of our everyday life, the good things and the bad things, and all the in between things that happen to us. This will become what we use to judge whether life has meaning or not. That will distort the true equation so that depending on how well life goes for us will determine for us in our minds whether God loves us or not. Our life situation is elastic and stretches backwards and forwards in time, in and out of reality and tied to our crazy emotions. But life is now – God’s love is always now.

The greatest reasonS that people find it difficult to believe that there can be a God arises from the overwhelming reality of evil in the world and of personal adversity. The existence of evil in the world is the result of the poor choices of a self-serving fallen humanity that causes it to continually ‘miss the true mark’ of God’s will and purpose of His gift of life to us. ‘Missing the mark’ hamartia, is the Greek word used for ‘sin’ in the Bible, ‘getting it wrong’. All have got it wrong and fallen short (Rom 3.23)

What does it mean in Romans 8:35 when it says ‘Nothing can separate us from the love of God, shall tribulation or distress or adversity…’ in other words, our life experiences, good and bad. I believe it means that none of these things stop God’s love from beaming towards us. But we can give up on God in those times and not believe in that love.

If we can trust God that he is working all things together for good for our inner and outer life journey, then we are on track in going forward in the course of our lives. In fact every challenge of faith that comes from God is designed to get us back on that course. Therefore we can see that faith in this love of God is the perfect disposition to have. because it allows for the greatest opportunity for us to become the person we were designed by God to be, with a moment by moment awareness of how to choose the most important, loving and caring thing to do in our personal world – first for our own inner journey, and then for the goodwill of God for others. Take first use of the Oxygen.

This all requires reflection. It must be focused upon and thought through and totally believed in. it must be balanced with our disappointments and griefs and losses that are very real feelings of perhaps being forsaken, and let down, even by God. Reflection means to set time aside. Measure what is causing distress. Put it in its right place by seeing the greater significance in the true reality. Then look forward to what God is working out for us, for His best for us, then just let it be. (Once a week, fortnight, every moment?)

Once you can get to that place of reflection (breadth length Depth height)that gives you the will to accept this truth of God’s all-encompassing and purposeful love, then you are on course. Everything fits into place – you are going in the right direction. When God intervenes in our affairs it can seem like an interruption to our self determined progress, but it is designed to bring the revelation of God, and His love. It is done to purify our hearts (Acts 15.9). When we see that God is doing this in our lives and in everyone else’s life, we can stop comparing our circumstances with those of other people, and escape the ‘why me? Syndrome.

The result of allowing God’s love to be the constant factor in the equation of our lives will bring a gradual change in our inner being, producing inner peace. Over time our bad reactions become calm responses. We see life as it really is, from God’s point of view.
We treat God better because we love Him and trust Him.
We treat ourselves better because we know we are loved.
We treat others better because we know God loves them.
Then we can love others as ourselves.