Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
Song of Solomon 1:15
How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves.
Song of Solomon 1:16
How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how charming!
Jeremiah 2:32
Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
This week’s lesson speaks of the most passionate kind of… intimacy Real intimacy fueled by a love so intense, so passionate that it causes one to blush in the reading of these Scriptures. Scripture? Yes, Holy Scripture. Scripture ordained by God, breathed upon by the Holy Spirit. Pay attention. There are a couple of things that you need to know about the lesson and about this Song of Solomon. Number one: God is not mentioned in this book… at all. Remarkable. One of two books in Scripture where God is not mentioned by name. How could God allow this? Why would he allow this? I surmise that God didn’t want us to be distracted. What? Distracted!? How? This leads to my second point: God gave Man and Woman love, really passionate love and.. sex. “Be fruitful and multiply”, He commanded them. The Song demonstrates the model that God had in mind when He spoke this Word. This man and his bride portray a singular focus and passionate desire for one another. Only one another. This Song of Solomon displays a depth of intimacy so deep that it’s foundations transcend the temporal and drift into the realm of the spiritual. Really? Really! This is the kind of love that lasts. You, the reader, understand innately, that the kind of love being written about her lasts a lifetime. Pay attention. Look around you. Do you know any elderly married couples? If you do, what you normally see in their relationship is commitment, long lasting commitment that started right here, in the garden that Solomon writes of. “For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health…. Till…” You know the rest. This kind of love is where life begins. This kind of love is celebrated in every culture, in every language. This kind of love is the very spark of life personified. Love like this is envied, wished for, spoken of in quiet whispers and sung about in ballads and tomes throughout all of history.
No, God doesn’t want to distract you. Scripture is to be read and meditated upon. That means this Song of Solomon too. That’s right. This Book called ‘The Song of Solomon’ or in some cases, ‘The Song of Songs”, this great tome about passionate love and desire is to be read slowly and thoughtfully in quiet contemplation and meditation. Really?! Why? Because God wants to exemplify true intimacy experienced temporally so that you can grow comfortable pursuing real, deep, revealing, lasting intimacy and … desire for Him. Theologians will quickly point out the error in my thinking. They’ll retort that there are three kinds of love spoken of in Scripture, Eros, Phileo and Agape. They’ll tell you that the Eros kind of love, sensual, physical, temporal is to be regarded as the lower form of the three. I’d reply that God fully intended that not one life would be created outside of the Eros kind of love since He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden. Not one! I’d also offer that, when we humans try to subjugate the Eros kind of love for the Phileo kind of love in a relationship we end up with… Hold on. Let me talk about Phileo for a moment. Phileo is defined as the ‘friend’ kind of love. Deep and personal, exemplified by a commonality of purpose. There’s nothing like a best friend. Yet, the Phileo kind of love does not exemplify a lifetime commitment to one another. Not really. Disagree? Friends, good friends don’t leave a job and move across the country because a friend of theirs was relocated. Not normally. But ‘married people’ pack up and go, in most cases, with their spouse, when life’s circumstances demand it. That kind of commitment is fueled by Eros. Phileo in the place of Eros in a relationship (remember: Eros is an expression of love, not lust (a different Greek word) in our culture is akin to ‘Friends with benefits”. No lifetime commitment. No lasting passion.
How then is God’s purpose accomplished in all of this? Beloved, God is Invisible to you and I. We feel something, we experience something, but what about when trouble comes? What about when challenges arise? When those times befall us, and they eventually will, there has to be something that causes you to bend your will, your very instinct for survival toward your Father, God. Time spent passionately pursuing your relationship with Him right now will take you to a place where no matter the circumstance, you stand in confidence that what He has allowed, He’ll deliver you through. Sounds like Faith doesn’t’ it? The very substance of things hoped for. Eros demonstrates that. In their secret garden, this bride and groom build through their desire for one another a hope for one another. A hope that will take them from this moment of paradise to a life that is mutually rewarding, richly fulfilling, long and satisfying, ‘Til death do us part’, a picture of the ‘Eternity’ that our Father has prepared for us. As it turns out, real Eros (sensual love) has some very spiritual overtones, doesn’t it.
Listen, when Jesus said to His disciples, “ Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down his life for his friends” (You know. That song you hear at weddings), He was speaking of Agape love. The God kind of love. Love so foreign and alien to us that we really only barely understand it. He was speaking of His eventual crucifixion. The laying down of His life for all of mankind. From the Phileo side of things, we see demonstrations of this when soldiers, serving a common purpose, sacrifice themselves so that their fellow soldiers can be safe. I’m sure that was mental picture formed in the minds of the disciples as they digested His words. Friends. Remember how uncomfortable they were at ‘The Last Supper’ where these words were spoken? But, I would submit to you, that any married man or married woman truly committed to one another and their children would gladly and willingly accept the challenge that Jesus’ words convey when applied within the context of …family. Family starts with marriage, and marriage starts in the Garden. A garden like the one that Solomon spoke of and… by God, revealed much about God and His Eternal, Everlasting passion and desire for you and I, His Beloved. Enjoy the lesson! When you have time, read the entire Song. It will Bless!
Blessings,
.wb
(did I talk about Him too much? can’t hardly help myself :) )
John 3:29
The bride belongs to the bridegroom.
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Revelation 21:9
And there came unto me one of the seven angels …., and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday School Lesson for October 16, 2011: Growing Old with Wisdom (Ecclesiastes 11:7–12:14)
Psalm 37:25
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Ephesians 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
I’ve resisted writing this lesson. Excuse after excuse. The truth is, this lesson makes me uncomfortable. I have to stop and think about…. Aging. There are certain eventualities in life, Aging is one of them. The writer of this week’s lesson, presumably Solomon, progresses through a beautiful alliteration of the onset of old age. I won’t go into each step in the process outlined in scripture, but rather, the warning that he provides both at the beginning and end of the passage: Remember God. The exhortation here is to find God early in life. In all of the getting in your youth, get God. Have fun within the appropriate boundaries, live life to its fullest. Enjoy yourself, but honor God. Honor him in your youth and He can and will guide you into a purpose greater than yourself. Don’t squander your youth, your vitality, your energy and your time on the vanity of seeking pleasure for pleasure’s sake alone. Remember God. Revere God. Learn to Rely on God. These three R’s will serve you well later in life when the eventuality of age begins its onset.
If you remembered Him when you were young, spent some time in His Presence, when your confidence in you begins to wane, your confidence in Him will build. As young Christians, when challenges arise, we go into a kind of ‘Are you there’ mode with God, but over time, we come to know that He is there and He is there for us. Literally an Ever Present Help in the time of need.
Revere God: time spent in supplication and prayer. Time spent in devotion and service. Time spent early on in your Christian experience will build a life of restraint before God because of God and who He is to you. Boundaries are important. One of the most destructive forces of youth is the lack of boundaries. Reverence learned early will protect and preserve you through youth to a place of maturity and preparedness for a place of leadership in God’s purpose.
Reliance. Reliance is the end result isn’t it. Reliance is a major aspect of … Faithfulness. That’s what we tell folks. Leaning on the Everlasting Arm. Reliance. Reliance on God who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that you can ask or even think. Reliance on God becomes a fixture as we grow older, if we learned early that God is Reliable, when we are old we rely on Him with a trust that transcends this temporal realm. David said, “I was young, and now I’m old, yet I’ve never seen the Righteous forsaken…”. Paul wrote, “For me to live is Christ, for me to die is gain”.
There is something to be said for ‘Eldership’. Preferred leadership in the Church of God has as one of it’s components: age. Whether it was Paul, the Aged or John, the Elder, faithfulness over time is one of the principal tenets of Leadership in the New Testament. Throughout Church History and into our present day; aged, responsible, mature, faithful leadership continues to ground the Church foundationally, so that we are not tossed to and fro by every whim or trend or fad that comes along. So then, what we find her is that, if God tarries (do you know what tarry means?), we all have something to look forward to: Growing old gracefully. Growing old with Wisdom. He’s been there for you from the beginning. Guess what? He’ll be here with you into Eternity. Good News. Very Good News. Be encouraged! We’ve got some exciting things to look forward to!
Blessings,
.wb
1 Timothy 5:17
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
James 5:14
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
Revelation 11:16
And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Ephesians 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
I’ve resisted writing this lesson. Excuse after excuse. The truth is, this lesson makes me uncomfortable. I have to stop and think about…. Aging. There are certain eventualities in life, Aging is one of them. The writer of this week’s lesson, presumably Solomon, progresses through a beautiful alliteration of the onset of old age. I won’t go into each step in the process outlined in scripture, but rather, the warning that he provides both at the beginning and end of the passage: Remember God. The exhortation here is to find God early in life. In all of the getting in your youth, get God. Have fun within the appropriate boundaries, live life to its fullest. Enjoy yourself, but honor God. Honor him in your youth and He can and will guide you into a purpose greater than yourself. Don’t squander your youth, your vitality, your energy and your time on the vanity of seeking pleasure for pleasure’s sake alone. Remember God. Revere God. Learn to Rely on God. These three R’s will serve you well later in life when the eventuality of age begins its onset.
If you remembered Him when you were young, spent some time in His Presence, when your confidence in you begins to wane, your confidence in Him will build. As young Christians, when challenges arise, we go into a kind of ‘Are you there’ mode with God, but over time, we come to know that He is there and He is there for us. Literally an Ever Present Help in the time of need.
Revere God: time spent in supplication and prayer. Time spent in devotion and service. Time spent early on in your Christian experience will build a life of restraint before God because of God and who He is to you. Boundaries are important. One of the most destructive forces of youth is the lack of boundaries. Reverence learned early will protect and preserve you through youth to a place of maturity and preparedness for a place of leadership in God’s purpose.
Reliance. Reliance is the end result isn’t it. Reliance is a major aspect of … Faithfulness. That’s what we tell folks. Leaning on the Everlasting Arm. Reliance. Reliance on God who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that you can ask or even think. Reliance on God becomes a fixture as we grow older, if we learned early that God is Reliable, when we are old we rely on Him with a trust that transcends this temporal realm. David said, “I was young, and now I’m old, yet I’ve never seen the Righteous forsaken…”. Paul wrote, “For me to live is Christ, for me to die is gain”.
There is something to be said for ‘Eldership’. Preferred leadership in the Church of God has as one of it’s components: age. Whether it was Paul, the Aged or John, the Elder, faithfulness over time is one of the principal tenets of Leadership in the New Testament. Throughout Church History and into our present day; aged, responsible, mature, faithful leadership continues to ground the Church foundationally, so that we are not tossed to and fro by every whim or trend or fad that comes along. So then, what we find her is that, if God tarries (do you know what tarry means?), we all have something to look forward to: Growing old gracefully. Growing old with Wisdom. He’s been there for you from the beginning. Guess what? He’ll be here with you into Eternity. Good News. Very Good News. Be encouraged! We’ve got some exciting things to look forward to!
Blessings,
.wb
1 Timothy 5:17
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
James 5:14
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
Revelation 11:16
And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Sunday School Lesson for October 9, 2011: Valuing True Wisdom (Ecclesiastes 9:13–10:20)
Ecclesiastes 9:13
[ Wisdom Better Than Folly ] I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me:
Job 9:4
His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.
I have something to share; a testimony of Wisdom. This testimony however, is not mine’s. It belongs to a friend. A good friend. You see, I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me’J My friend was at home washing dishes, or about to start, when, he told me, he heard the Holy Ghost speak. He told me that he clearly felt and heard the Lord prompt him to stop washing dishes (he really hadn’t started yet, and take out the trash. “Take out the trash?”, he thought. “Lord, I’ll take out the trash when I’m done with the dishes”, he replied inwardly, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that God really was prompting him to stop… and take out the trash. Bless his heart! He told me that he felt convicted enough about it that, after a moment or so, he stopped washing dishes and started obeying God. He gathered his trash and out the door he went.
Let me stop right here. Has anything like this ever happened to you? Probably. Most Christians will confess to having had, in their Christian experience, some prompting or sign or some direction from God at least once. I make such a claim in my own experience. That leads me to the next question: did you obey that prompting? Many have and have reaped the blessing. Some have not and were left wondering what might have been?
Down the steps, across the parking lot, my friend was making his way toward the nearest dumpster, kind of wondering, kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know how it goes. When you take off after God in this way, it’s really an act of faith. You’re kind of stepping out of the boat and onto the water. Your spiritual antennae kind of go up and you find yourself walking and waiting, walking and waiting. Abraham was walking, with Isaac, up the mountain in obedience and waiting on the Lord, faithfully trusting.
As he got closer to the dumpster, (my friend lives in an apartment) my friend told me that he heard something.. a voice… so faint, but he was sure he heard it. He stopped, sat his trash bag down and walked in the direction of the sound. He almost walked past her. A woman, who appeared to be quite elderly, had fallen down between two cars. She apparently had been coming from the apartment mailboxes, stepped off the curb, between cars, lost her balance and fell. She was lying down between the cars crying for ‘Help!”, help. Let me stop here and add a bit of information: this occurred just this past summer, right here in Dallas, Texas, where we had many, many days of plus one hundred degree days. This was one of those days!
He reached down for her. As he touched her arm, he was struck by how frail she really seemed. She had become disoriented, out of sorts. He told me that, he didn’t know how long she’d been lying there, but that here skin seemed dry.. almost brittle. Her mail was strewn between the cars. He gently… you know how it is when you think you’re being gentle, then you’re struck by how fragile what your handling seems, so you become even more cautious?.. got her to her feet, picked up her scattered mail from between the cars and carefully escorted her back to her apartment. He made sure she was comfortable, got her something to drink and then left to return to his chores.
I need a moment….
Take one with me…
Selah
I’m sure my friend needed a moment as well. What had just happened? What might have happened if? Most of the time, when some one testifies, it’s about, “how the Lord blessed me!”. C’mon, you know how we do. “I obeyed God and look how He blessed me!” Right? Everybody shouts and whoops and all of that is OK, but what about a testimony like this? Takes your breath away doesn’t it? This one is humbling. When my friend told it, you could see how he was still affected by it. What if he hadn’t obeyed? Ultimately, we have to believe that God would have made a way. Most certainly, but, testimonies like this really give us pause to, in awesome wonder, consider all the works His hand has made. How great He is! How Magnificent! How Wondrous! How Glorious! How Merciful! What a Might God we serve.
I won’t mention my friend’s name. Some of you know him, but he’s not looking for any acclaim. I don’t blame him. There’s no sharing the stage with God, is there? To God belongs all the Glory. I hope you enjoyed the testimony. Be encouraged. God may come calling soon. Will you be ready?
Blessings,
.wb
Proverbs 24:14
Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me
Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
[ Wisdom Better Than Folly ] I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me:
Job 9:4
His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.
I have something to share; a testimony of Wisdom. This testimony however, is not mine’s. It belongs to a friend. A good friend. You see, I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me’J My friend was at home washing dishes, or about to start, when, he told me, he heard the Holy Ghost speak. He told me that he clearly felt and heard the Lord prompt him to stop washing dishes (he really hadn’t started yet, and take out the trash. “Take out the trash?”, he thought. “Lord, I’ll take out the trash when I’m done with the dishes”, he replied inwardly, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that God really was prompting him to stop… and take out the trash. Bless his heart! He told me that he felt convicted enough about it that, after a moment or so, he stopped washing dishes and started obeying God. He gathered his trash and out the door he went.
Let me stop right here. Has anything like this ever happened to you? Probably. Most Christians will confess to having had, in their Christian experience, some prompting or sign or some direction from God at least once. I make such a claim in my own experience. That leads me to the next question: did you obey that prompting? Many have and have reaped the blessing. Some have not and were left wondering what might have been?
Down the steps, across the parking lot, my friend was making his way toward the nearest dumpster, kind of wondering, kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know how it goes. When you take off after God in this way, it’s really an act of faith. You’re kind of stepping out of the boat and onto the water. Your spiritual antennae kind of go up and you find yourself walking and waiting, walking and waiting. Abraham was walking, with Isaac, up the mountain in obedience and waiting on the Lord, faithfully trusting.
As he got closer to the dumpster, (my friend lives in an apartment) my friend told me that he heard something.. a voice… so faint, but he was sure he heard it. He stopped, sat his trash bag down and walked in the direction of the sound. He almost walked past her. A woman, who appeared to be quite elderly, had fallen down between two cars. She apparently had been coming from the apartment mailboxes, stepped off the curb, between cars, lost her balance and fell. She was lying down between the cars crying for ‘Help!”, help. Let me stop here and add a bit of information: this occurred just this past summer, right here in Dallas, Texas, where we had many, many days of plus one hundred degree days. This was one of those days!
He reached down for her. As he touched her arm, he was struck by how frail she really seemed. She had become disoriented, out of sorts. He told me that, he didn’t know how long she’d been lying there, but that here skin seemed dry.. almost brittle. Her mail was strewn between the cars. He gently… you know how it is when you think you’re being gentle, then you’re struck by how fragile what your handling seems, so you become even more cautious?.. got her to her feet, picked up her scattered mail from between the cars and carefully escorted her back to her apartment. He made sure she was comfortable, got her something to drink and then left to return to his chores.
I need a moment….
Take one with me…
Selah
I’m sure my friend needed a moment as well. What had just happened? What might have happened if? Most of the time, when some one testifies, it’s about, “how the Lord blessed me!”. C’mon, you know how we do. “I obeyed God and look how He blessed me!” Right? Everybody shouts and whoops and all of that is OK, but what about a testimony like this? Takes your breath away doesn’t it? This one is humbling. When my friend told it, you could see how he was still affected by it. What if he hadn’t obeyed? Ultimately, we have to believe that God would have made a way. Most certainly, but, testimonies like this really give us pause to, in awesome wonder, consider all the works His hand has made. How great He is! How Magnificent! How Wondrous! How Glorious! How Merciful! What a Might God we serve.
I won’t mention my friend’s name. Some of you know him, but he’s not looking for any acclaim. I don’t blame him. There’s no sharing the stage with God, is there? To God belongs all the Glory. I hope you enjoyed the testimony. Be encouraged. God may come calling soon. Will you be ready?
Blessings,
.wb
Proverbs 24:14
Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me
Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Sunday School Lesson for Oct. 2, 2011: Living an Ordered Life (Proverbs 28:1–29:27)
Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish…
Two notable ‘visionaries’ of our time passed away this past week: Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and Al Davis, the owner of the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders (Jerry Jones before Jerry Jones was Jerry JonesJ ) Vision is absolutely necessary for the advancement of civilization. Nothing has ever been built without it. Gift from God? Most definitely. One of the many traits that we share with the Father. And because He gives His gifts without repentance and He is not a respecter of persons, this gift of vision is sometimes made manifest in the worst ways imaginable. Nevertheless, vision: the ability to see or conceptualize a finished, completed task, project, entity, etc., is the engine that drives us forward, collectively and individually. Collectively, we build neighborhoods, cities, nations, governments. We fuel growth, entrepreneurship, education, renaissance on every level. Individually, we ‘envision’ our families, our career paths, our dreams, hobbies and adventures. Vision: the engine of civilization. A thought in closing: In this current time of economic and political upheaval many from various sides of the spectrum will refer to the other side’s positions as a zero sum game. Vision, true vision sees past the concept of zero sum game to the continual advancement of civilization. Beloved, Genesis 1:2 describes a place an earth that was chaotic and void, but God saw the possible and spoke it into existence. God said… and since God set creation in motion with the Word, it has never ceased to be or to continue being. Vision is like that. It set in motion the creative inspiration that literally raises up nations out of nothingness. Establishes order from total disorder.
Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.
I purposely shifted the context of the verse above in the first paragraph, so as to illustrate the power of vision, one of God’s many gifts to mankind. But there is something else required for the continued well being of mankind. We need revelation, open vision from God about God. About His heart, His love, His plan for us. God’s vision for us sustains us in difficult times. His revealed Word gives us Hope. Hope brings us boldly into His Presence, where His Love is shed abroad into our hearts by His Holy Spirit. When the heavens are open and Revelation is present, we see Him, through the eyes of Faith, and we are healed, nourished, fulfilled, blessed. Lord, open our eyes so that your Glory may be revealed in us. When we, the Church, walked under the unction of His reveled Word, we bless, we heal, we offer life to a world that He so cherishes that He gave us His Son, Jesus; the First and the Last, The very Image of the Father, God’s Heart made manifest for the redemption of all of mankind.
Where there is no open heaven, people lose their consciousness of the things of God. They become consumed with the cares and concerns of the world, they are overtaken by circumstances beyond their control and pretty soon, they are mired in hopelessness. The reverent fear of the Lord is a good thing. If it causes restraint, if it causes humility, if it causes restraint… Halleluiah! If we live a life fully conscious of God’s Presence, then we’ve received the greatest blessing. We’ve received the ability to behold His majesty, to peer in awe at His Glory, to know Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering. By godly restraint, we walk in His light and Heaven calls us Blessed.
.wb
Isaiah 6:1
[ Isaiah’s Commission ] In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Where there is no vision, the people perish…
Two notable ‘visionaries’ of our time passed away this past week: Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and Al Davis, the owner of the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders (Jerry Jones before Jerry Jones was Jerry JonesJ ) Vision is absolutely necessary for the advancement of civilization. Nothing has ever been built without it. Gift from God? Most definitely. One of the many traits that we share with the Father. And because He gives His gifts without repentance and He is not a respecter of persons, this gift of vision is sometimes made manifest in the worst ways imaginable. Nevertheless, vision: the ability to see or conceptualize a finished, completed task, project, entity, etc., is the engine that drives us forward, collectively and individually. Collectively, we build neighborhoods, cities, nations, governments. We fuel growth, entrepreneurship, education, renaissance on every level. Individually, we ‘envision’ our families, our career paths, our dreams, hobbies and adventures. Vision: the engine of civilization. A thought in closing: In this current time of economic and political upheaval many from various sides of the spectrum will refer to the other side’s positions as a zero sum game. Vision, true vision sees past the concept of zero sum game to the continual advancement of civilization. Beloved, Genesis 1:2 describes a place an earth that was chaotic and void, but God saw the possible and spoke it into existence. God said… and since God set creation in motion with the Word, it has never ceased to be or to continue being. Vision is like that. It set in motion the creative inspiration that literally raises up nations out of nothingness. Establishes order from total disorder.
Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.
I purposely shifted the context of the verse above in the first paragraph, so as to illustrate the power of vision, one of God’s many gifts to mankind. But there is something else required for the continued well being of mankind. We need revelation, open vision from God about God. About His heart, His love, His plan for us. God’s vision for us sustains us in difficult times. His revealed Word gives us Hope. Hope brings us boldly into His Presence, where His Love is shed abroad into our hearts by His Holy Spirit. When the heavens are open and Revelation is present, we see Him, through the eyes of Faith, and we are healed, nourished, fulfilled, blessed. Lord, open our eyes so that your Glory may be revealed in us. When we, the Church, walked under the unction of His reveled Word, we bless, we heal, we offer life to a world that He so cherishes that He gave us His Son, Jesus; the First and the Last, The very Image of the Father, God’s Heart made manifest for the redemption of all of mankind.
Where there is no open heaven, people lose their consciousness of the things of God. They become consumed with the cares and concerns of the world, they are overtaken by circumstances beyond their control and pretty soon, they are mired in hopelessness. The reverent fear of the Lord is a good thing. If it causes restraint, if it causes humility, if it causes restraint… Halleluiah! If we live a life fully conscious of God’s Presence, then we’ve received the greatest blessing. We’ve received the ability to behold His majesty, to peer in awe at His Glory, to know Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering. By godly restraint, we walk in His light and Heaven calls us Blessed.
.wb
Isaiah 6:1
[ Isaiah’s Commission ] In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
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