Gleanings

 I thought I'd share a few more gleanings from my prayer journal today.....

"Lord, may we give you permission to blow our minds with the things you wish to tell us." Chris Tiegreen...One of the great obstacles we have in securing a dynamic faith is our insistence on rationally and intellectually trying to explain all that His Word says. In doing this we've so watered it down as to make His Word powerless. We never seem to understand that we infinite beings will never be able to fully comprehend, let alone explain an infinite God. Our pride keeps us from admitting this, so we try anyway. So we miss having Him reveal to us the "great and wonderful things that we do not know" that Jesus spoke to His disciples about. He told them point blank that He had so much more He wanted to share with them but that, "you are not able to receive it." He says the same to us, and too often, we also are not able to receive it. This is where we, like Tiegreen, need to give Him "permission" to share with us the wonders He has for us, even if it does "blow" all our preconceived notions, ideas, and understanding. Our need for this will be found in our examining just how long has it been since He told us or shared with us anything that amazed us? Are we willing to have the shaky foundations we've formed for ourselves toppled by revelation from His heart and mind that take us more deeply into Him than we ever thought possible? Yes, may we, you and I, give Him the permission to do so.

"If the devil picks a fight with you, stand until the storm passes by...and it will pass by." RT Kendall....The Pharaoh of Egypt could not stop picking fights with God and His people. After stubbornly refusing to release the Israelites from their slavery and suffering through many devastating plagues as a result, he finally told Moses to take the people and go. Then he had a change of heart and took his army in pursuit. He caught up with them at the Red Sea. It was there that Moses said to the people, "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf." The Red Sea was parted, the pursuing Egyptians destroyed by its returning to its usual dimensions. Someone said that if we will trust Him in the midst of the enemy's most devastating attacks, He will make the devil regret ever striking at us to begin with. Surely Pharoah regretted his actions. Satan, who was the one moving through him did as well. He always will. Storms, mountains, giants, enemies will always be coming against us in this life. Our part is to stand in the midst of them and behold Him as He moves, works, and fights on our behalf. Whatever comes will pass by, and He will lead us through...to the other side...to home.

"The look of Jesus transforms and transfixes." In Mark 10 as Jesus converses with the rich young ruler, He's just been told that the young man has always kept all the rules of the law. Scripture says that Jesus looked at Him with great love, then called upon him to sell all, leave all, and follow Him. The rich young man could not. I've come to think that it was the look of Jesus even more than His words that so impacted the young ruler. In His eyes He could see that all his own "righteousness" was nothing. He, a man of affluence and position, needed Jesus just as much as the blind beggar a few yards away. When we look into His eyes, we are undone. We stand naked before Him. It is then that we choose to either come with Him or walk away. The rich young ruler walked away. Do we?

Just some words and thoughts to "chew on" today.

Blessings,

Pastor O