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Preparing the Bride of Jesus Christ

Is GOD Demanding?

Is GOD demanding?

Not in my view.

I personally feel that, given He is the Creator of the Universe and has sent His son to die in exchange for our rescue from hell on earth and eternal damnation, whatever Yehovah GOD might stipulate for a peaceful and joyful existence for us is perfectly reasonable. Is GOD demanding? I don’t think so…. But He’s clear about positive and negative consequences of our actions.

I want to take a look at a couple of chapters in Deuteronomy that will help us understand better the principle from Luke 12:48, To whom much is given, from him much will be required.

A read of Deuteronomy 18-20

Our heavenly Father asks the Hebrews (and fast forward to today, that includes those saved by His grace) to be different from the people of the lands surrounding. “For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you.” (Deuteronomy 18:14)

He goes on to promise them a prophet; one who is genuinely of GOD will be proven to be so, through the fulfilment of his prophecies (Deuteronomy 18:15-22).

What does GOD say about wickedness

Let’s have a look at the LORD’s declarations…

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says, “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD…” 

So, GOD is clear about whom to follow and what not to follow.

GOD sets up refuge

In Deuteronomy 19, GOD distinguishes between accidental injury leading to death vs murder. He sets up property structure and inheritance law. He distinguishes between true and false testimony, and makes it abundantly clear that, “Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye…” in the context of deliberate guilt “so shall you put away the evil from among you” (Deuteronomy 19:19)

The motive for GOD’s strictness is not so much to punish the guilty but rather to protect the innocent. The key is to deal with malicious intent, motive, for the sake of the innocent. 

We see this played out in Acts 5 when Ananias and Sapphire lie to Holy Spirit.

“Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

Peter no sooner makes this statement that Ananias — and later his wife — dies. They each have the opportunity to come clean about their falsehood, but do not. Therefore, they experience the same consequence. It is harsh, but it is protective for the young Church. And they die, not because they didn’t give all their money away but because they claimed they did. Big difference.

Motive matters to GOD

It is less our behaviour that matters to GOD but more the motive behind our behaviour. We make mistakes. That’s behaviour. But we repent and move forward. That’s purification and the process of forgiveness.

This purity is what GOD wanted for the Hebrews, it is what He wanted for the early church. And it is what He seeks today amongst His children of faith. Now however, because of Jesus’ sacrifice and our surrender to Him in becoming born again, we are purified supernaturally. Repentance is the gateway to forgiveness… rather than punishment (though we can suffer consequences of our actions in the natural).

When GOD’s people venture into the promised land, they are told, “you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive…. lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 20:16-18) He wants His people to avoid temptation, to remain pure.

GOD is protective

Like a loving and committed father, GOD covers us. Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37)

And so, GOD does not ask what we cannot do with His help. He seeks to relate with us intimately and to protect us. In this world of darkness and evil, He wants us to be safe and so He sets standards within which we have absolute freedom.

GOD is not demanding. He is protective of His children, always has been, and I reckon, He always will be.

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GOD'S STORY

GOD’S STORY pt 30 The Mist

What is the Mist?

“…before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.” (Genesis 2:5-6)

All the livestock and other animals, all the plant life, proceeded man. There was no one to tend and yet nature thrived… because of the mist that provided all the moisture necessary for life.

Day 6 brought beast and man. The commission to man was to tend and multiply. And so Adam did.

But what is the mist? And how does it provide for life?

Preparing the Bride for GOD’s Story

How do we prepare as the Bride of Christ? One aspect is to learn GOD’S STORY. He created us in His image…. Piece by piece, and peace by peace, we learn to walk as He has walked. And we learn His perspective. 

The Mist

Before rain came upon the earth there was mist. Moisture existed in the form of mist. No one went thirsty, not plant, not animal. No one trekked for miles to an oasis in the desert. The earth brought forth mist to quench the thirst.

This was how the atmosphere was until the Flood. People lived on average some 700 years and more. And there was no need to dig wells. (I’m not saying we didn’t drink… no idea, I wasn’t there. But there wasn’t rainfall, that’s for certain.)

Fascinating. GOD is so creative. And that He had a plan to start all over again when necessary is also amazing. He gave so much. With each step away from Him, mankind has made it harder for himself because each step away has brought consequences.

From GOD’s point of view

He gave us immortality. We threw that away. When we became depraved, He brought the flood so mankind could start afresh… With the flood came rain and a shortened lifespan….

GOD gives what is perfect. We mess up. He puts in boundaries to help us mess up less.

That’s my point of view of GOD’s point of view!

Then Jesus

Then He sent Jesus…. Jesus is the opportunity to be freed from 1. the shackles of humanity’s evil inclinations and 2. the law which is there to protect us from those evil inclinations. In Jesus, we surrender and receive our freedom back — that freedom that Adam had. Though we may stumble through it, and though we may not recognise the extent of our freedom, nevertheless, it is there, available, through surrender to Him and sharing of love from Him.

If the mist was there initially to give us all the moisture life required, now Jesus has cleared the fog and given us new life, hope, strength, power and love.

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Preparing the Bride of Jesus Christ

Is it time to take stock of your Christian Life?

Every now and then we need to pause, to “be still” simply to reflect on our proximity to GOD and His will in our lives. That’s my way of bridging my relationship with GOD to the present day in the world. 

Is it time to take stock of your Christian life?

I spent a recent Saturday evening in my rocking chair by the gas fire, talking with GOD. I haven’t done that in a very long time, and it was the most wonderful evening I’ve had in a long while. There was no hype, no intensity, no burden. Just conversation with the most important person in my life: Adonai Elohim, Yehovah: my daddy.

Thank you GOD for showing up. Thank you for waiting for me. Thank you.

It is always time

I’ve just had a lovely conversation with a brother who is relatively new in the LORD. His hunger, enthusiasm, plethora of questions, is such a joy to engage. And the questions he has are full of sincerity, faith and passion for the Truth. He’s also asking questions about poverty, power and money. And so, invariably, there are some attitudes that the LORD will touch in this friend’s walk, as he steadfastly looks to Jesus.

But even when we have walked with the LORD for decades, it is always the time to draw close, always the time to ask questions, and always the time simply to rest in Him. He promised us the Sabbath rest… Not just on a Saturday but every day, as we walk with Him, we can live in the peace, grace and stillness of GOD. When we pursue Him, when we are still before Him, we will be changed into His likeness.

Yes, it is always the time to take time to grow in Him.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.” (Proverbs 3:6)

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Reflections and Poetry

Deep thinking v Shallow Thinking: a reflection

What do I mean by deep thinking v shallow thinking?

Shallow is quick, superficial and efficient.

Deep is time consuming, meaningful and profitable.

Shallow is like skating, whereas deep is like scuba diving;

one scrapes the surface and stands out, while the other is silent, invisible, investigative.

One flits across the senses. The other penetrates the soul.

Shallow thinking is like a dance in quick time, elegant yet soon over leaving something ethereal: a memory, emotion or longing.

Deep thinking takes time. The body and mind rest while the heart contemplates life.

GOD is in the deep places. He’s in the speck of cloud far away, He’s in the hurricane and the eye of the storm. And He’s at the bottom of the sea where no-one goes, no one sees, unless we become like Him.

GOD is everywhere, so He’s in the shallow as well as the deep. But in the deep we have limitless time. 

And time makes all the difference.

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GOD'S STORY Preparing the Bride of Jesus Christ

GOD’s Story: 1 Protector

How do we prepare as the Bride of Christ? We learn GOD’s Story. Piece by piece, and peace by peace, we learn to walk as He walked. 

Today is a new step in Blog Posting on Larus Press by delving into GOD’s Story: 1 Protector. Yehovah GOD is our Protector…

“For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11

If you look at the entirety of Psalm 91 you’ll see the beauty and majesty of the LORD in His words. But this phrase is what He is sharing with us today.

He keeps us in perfect peace, He keeps us protected, He guards our steps and watches our pathways for us. “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6.

Do you see how the scriptures dovetail or overlap, complement and show us one aspect of Him at a time? From Psalm 91:11 He reveals that He watches over us and has given us angels to look after us. (Perhaps even if we’re wise, we allow them to reign us in from time to time, as necessary…. Angels certainly have protected me as I drive in my car!)

And If we acknowledge the LORD, we see in Proverbs 3:6 there is a promise: He directs the steps we take.

GOD’s story today then, is that He looks out for us. And if we allow Him His choices, He protects us.

Satan tried to fool Jesus, though he failed. In the wilderness, Satan referred to Psalm 91 saying in Matthew 4:6, 

“If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’

and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

But Jesus wasn’t fooled and said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” Matthew 4:7

The key to GOD’s Story is always to rest in Him, to know His word, and to understand the devil prowls like a lion seeing whom he may devour.

As we trust in the LORD and walk in His ways, we are guided, protected and free to live safely in the knowledge that we are loved. “No weapon formed against us shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17) as we acknowledge His power and authority in the Creation and in our very own lives.