Wisdom: Save the Living Baby

[Solomon] The king said, "This one says, 'My son is alive and your son is dead,' while that one says, 'No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.' "

Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other." The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!" But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!"

Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother."

1 Kings 3:23-24

I nearly cried as I read this morning, because in the passage above we see a woman surrender her child TO AN ENEMY, because she loved her baby.  She knew in her "heart-of-hearts" that demanding her right would only result in the death of the one she loved most.  Surrender was the only way.

This story, above all others, is the one that God uses to demonstrate the wisdom of Solomon, wisdom he requested so that he could rule God's people.  This wisdom divides between soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12), a old testament picture of the active, living Word of God. The soul said "my right", while the spirit inside said "save the baby".  This was wisdom that pleased God then, and pleases God now. Specific, painful at times....necessary. Today I saw the truth, and the truth set me free.

This one is personal. What are YOU protecting, that God is asking you to surrender?

The Practice of the Presence of God

"There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it."    
... Brother Lawrence

http://www.practicegodspresence.com/

Brother Lawrence was a crippled monk who found God every day, not as a weird mystic, but a simple man who surrendered daily, and enjoyed the presence of God.

Last summer my son and I read this modern paraphrase of an ancient classic.  With each chapter, I tried to find the "truth", the one sentence that really summarized the chapter.  Sometimes we picked two.  One year later we still have this list posted on our back door.

An easy read, a more challenging to-do.  Ask yourself... Am I "practicing" or just hanging around? 

1. Keep a close watch on motives and impulses
2. Please don’t let me offend you Lord
3. Don’t panic in temptation, just call out to God
4. His light can slice through the dark, when we only want to follow him
5. Please grant me the grace to stay and continue in your presence
6. I’m clay God, mold me! (this one is personal :)
   
7. Those who want to know God’s full presence need to have their heart emptied of worldly stuff
8. God is never going to let someone totally sold out to him really enjoy the other stuff, the trinkets of life
9. Habit? Give him your heart, not once, but daily
10. My king is full of mercy and goodness. Instead of making me feel bad, he hugs me with his love and invites me to dinner.
11. He’s protecting me…nothing scares me anymore.
12. A quick prayer is an act of worship
13. The job of our wills is to bring us back to a peaceful place
14. Pleasing God is our only real job, everything else is silly and self centered
15. It would be rude if friends stopped by to visit and you left them alone, wouldn’t it. So why do we ignore God?
16. God sends pain; He’s the only one who can cure it. Often he’ll go so far as to make us physically sick to cure spiritual diseases.
17. I owe everything I’ve gained to God’s mercy and goodness because we (and especially I!) can’t do anything without him.
18. Don’t forget God. Tell him how much you love him even when you’re sick or down.
19. Hang in there and don’t ask God to take away the pain. Instead remember how much you love him and then ask for strength to bear all that he wants for as long as he decides.
20. We need to build our hearts into spiritual temples so we always have a place to adore him, to tell him how much we love him.
21. If we only understood how much he loves us we’d always be ready to accept both the bitter and the sweet from his hand.
22. The more we know him, the more we want to know him better.
23. He lives in us, so we don’t need to look outside ourselves or anywhere else.
24. Shame on us for being rude by ignoring God because we’re busy with so many little things that don’t please him and maybe even offend him.
25. In fact, the outside world, human nature, and Satan combine to assault us.
26. God lives in your deepest heart and soul
27. It’s important to look at ourselves to learn our weaknesses, where we need to grow and which qualities will be hardest to develop.
28. Worship God in truth is confessing that there’s a grand canyon between him and us, but that if we say yes to him, he’ll make us more like him.
29. Actual union lifts the soul up to a place where we have no choice but to love God, worship Him, and hold on to him with tender hugs I can’t even describe.
30. But his very heart and soul are held up to the heights of God, who is his rest and the bull’s-eye of his soul.
31. Things of the world hardly ever cause a ripple or disturb our inner peace
32. Because the heart begins and ends all that we do.
33. Mold my heart to match yours God!
34. I’m all yours Lord
35. Please fix his heart
36. Show me how to change
37. Thank you Lord
38. When we pray like this we find hat we’re on the way to praying all the time.

The Reason

"The Reason"
I found this pool table video then fell in love with the song.....its a song about someone who realizes they are not perfect, that they need to change because they have hurt the one they love, the one who defines their purpose in life ("a reason to be").  Is this a song you can sing this to Jesus, ..."change who I used to be, start over new, and the reason is you"? 

I watched this amazing video, and marveled at what someone taught themselves to do with a pool cue.  Then I noticed it's a small room, he's all alone, and begin to wonder....has this guy devoted his life to this?  Is shooting pool his "reason to be"? 

Have we been hurt so badly that we run to something to fill the hurt,  made enormous sacrifices to become "good" at something (a job, friends, knowledgeable) or done something else not so good, instead of the right thing? I have done both of these time and again, and forgotten the truth that He loves us, and we are changed not because of what we accomplish, but as we behold him, we are transformed from one degree of glory to another 2 Cor 3:18. 
 
The Reason
by Hoobastank

I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found out a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
Thats why i need you to hear

I've found out a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is You

and the reason is You [x3]

I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found out a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you

Why Suffering? Pain and The Big Splash

 Last week Tony described the “Big Splash”, how the crucifixion of Jesus led to God’s Spirit coming alive in believers.  We have a chance to walk with Him BECAUSE of his deep love. Watching the Passion of Christ tonight with some brothers…that price and His passion was made clear… we are loved by God.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. “ (Phil 2)

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

I forget sometimes how much he loves us, how dearly he paid  for me, for others around me, so that we could live for each other and walk with Him.  He is good to remind us who we are, by His suffering and ours.

Lead me to the Cross

Hillsong

Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross
You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen
To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

Praising God: A reminder

Sunday we talked about how to hear God.  The last couple weeks my walk with God has been thin.  A good brother suggested I blog some.  

How to hear God (Notes from Sunday at LifeChurch):

1.  Worship: Jesus is Lord, submit to him

2.  Be still, God doesn’t yell, keep in step with Him.  Not just an agenda.  He will prompt you to pray for certain people.

3.  Open God’s word. It only happens if you are deseparate, if your soul is at stake 

4.  Listen for the inward knowing

5.  Ask others

Screeming to God this morning at my frustration with step one, I don't want to thank Him because I have to, ought to, or should.  I want to BE thankful.  I looked up as I opened my eyes saw a shadow in the shape of a cross.  Nothing obviously superantural, just shadows.  But I know it was a reminder from God.  Then I recieved this note from one who is faithful later this morning.  

From Connie G B. 

04/09/2009 09:49 AM

Subject Daily Devotion for 4/9/09

I will praise you as long as I live. Psalm 63:4

Praising God should be the first thing we do each morning.  Praising God should continue in our thoughts and hearts throughout the day.  Praising God should be the last thing we do when we retire for the evening.  

If your having a difficult time, you can begin by praising God for what He is about to do.  If you have just gotten through a trial, praise Him for being with you.  If you can't think of a single reason to praise Him this morning due to so many trials and difficulties, please at least thank God for the birth, life, death and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit which we have freely received.  We should remember to praise God for Jesus everyday.  Without Him my life would be worthless and my attitude would be self centered and thoughtless.  

Many times throughout the year we are thankful for Jesus and praise His name.  At Christmas we praise God for Christ's birth.  We praise God for Jesus death and resurrection at Easter.  How about His life?  He gave us so much during his short lived life.  Without the teachings and Words of the bible, where would we be?  At the very least this morning my friends, no matter what is going on in your life, take time to praise God for the precious words in the bible and the precious life of Jesus.  Try to not just praise Him on special occasions or when things are going your way.  

God provides exactly what we need to get through each day.  Receive His comfort, remember the price that way paid for your life. Jesus fulfilled the promise of eternal life and forgiveness of our sin so we should be praising God every moment for that tremendous gift of sacrifice.  Focus today my friends on the meaning of the cross.  Receive Chris's gifts of  forgiveness, grace and mercy.  Reflect and praise Him for His undying love for you and me.  Focusing on praise can change your heart and lift your burdens.  God bless.

Thanks Connie, i needed that

Freedom? or Coiled in shells of loneliness

Touched by an Angel

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

Maya Angelou

Not often that I post someone else in it's entirety, thanks to Nita B.  who found it at just the right time. May I  have the courage and the love to be free.