http://bibleforums.org/blog.php/17802-Chronicles-of-the-Mind A free online Christian Community. Active, moderated Christian Message Board. en Fri, 24 May 2013 14:38:27 GMT vBulletin 60 http://bibleforums.org/images/misc/rss.jpg http://bibleforums.org/blog.php/17802-Chronicles-of-the-Mind http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/2934-The-Power-of-Remembering Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:37:49 GMT Few things in life are more elusive than a person's memory. Things I thought I would never forget five years ago are already buried in the recesses of my mind by a myriad of other impressions, thoughts, feelings, and events. It is no wonder, then, that God constantly calls upon the children of Israel to remember His deeds, remember His covenant love, remember His statutes and Law. We humans constantly need reminders to keep us on track.

One of the most intriguing elements of the Law of Moses in this context is the various feasts that were to be celebrated by the children of Israel. Most of these feasts were instituted as festive celebrations and times of rejoicing, a few were used as an opportunity to repent and seek the Lord. In a variety of ways, these feasts served as the reminders Israel needed to keep them focussed on who God is, what He can do, what He has done, and what He has promised He will do. These feasts helped define who they were as a people and created continuity between the past and the present by reemphasizing their place in redemptive history.

Nehemiah gives us a glimpse into the celebration of one of those feasts: the Feast of Booths. Ezra the scribe had been reading the Law to the people with the Levites explaining it to the them and helping them understand it. In the midst of this process, they people discover what the Law says regarding the Feast of Booths:

13 On the second day, the family leaders of all the people, along with the priests and Levites, assembled before Ezra the scribe to study the words of the law. 14 They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in booths during the festival of the seventh month.

Look at the hunger these people have for the Word of God! They come together, listen to the Law being read, and begin to study the Law. As with king Josiah, the last righteous king of Judah, God begins to open the eyes of those who earnestly seek to please Him and seek to know Him more. Their hungry, tender hearts are stirred when they read about the Feast of Booths. Upon finding out that they were in the right time of year and month, the leaders of the people decide that this feast needs to be celebrated. What followed was a celebration of epic proportions:

15 So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and [other] leafy trees to make booths, just as it is written." 16The people went out, brought back [branches], and made booths for themselves on each of their rooftops, and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate, and the square by the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The whole community that had returned from exile made booths and lived in them. They had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. And there was tremendous joy. 18 Ezra read out of the book of the law of God every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the ordinance.

For seven days, the Israelites celebrated the Feast of Booths in a way that had not been done since the days of Joshua. They remembered that their forefathers dwelt in booths when they came out of Egypt and experienced God's faithfulness, provision, and care. What a sight it must have been to see all those booths in the squares, the courtyards, in the temple, and on the rooftops! For seven days they rejoiced that God had brought them out of Egypt all those centuries ago, that they found themselves in the center of this redemptive history with a God that was still as powerful and as faithful as He was in the days of Moses.

What particularly thrills me about this account is the exuberant joy that this celebration stirs up in the people of Israel; it reminds me of the need to continuously remember the great things God has done in my life in the past. Just like the Israelites experienced thousands of years ago, I find that it is so easy to let the business of life begin to bury and fade out memories. The routine of life drains the joy and before long, I'm so caught up in the here and now that I stop seeing the present in light of God and His redemptive acts throughout (my) history. As human beings, we have a tremendous innate need to constantly remember God's good deeds - it is an unending source of an amazing joy! I need to remind myself regularly of how God saved me, how I was set free from sin, how God provided when I saw no way out, how His steadfast love has kept me all these years. The same God that saved the Israelites is the same God that is by my side today! What a joy those thoughts bring! Few words express these feelings better than those of this song:

When I think about the Lord
How He saved me, How He raised me
How He filled me up with the Holy Ghost
How He healed me to the uttermost!
When I think about the Lord
How He picked me up, turned me around
And set my feet on solid ground

It makes me wanna shout
Hallelujah, thank you Jesus
Lord, You're worthy of all of the glory
And all of the honor and all of the praise!

When you don't quite see your way or you're lost in the business of life, think of how God has manifested His steadfast love, grace, and power in your life and remember that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His love never fails.

From my blog at pilgrimtozion.blogspot.com ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/2934-The-Power-of-Remembering http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/1278-Musings-The-Book-of-Hebrews-(2) Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:45:50 GMT Continuing from my previous post - just to keep things organized and not create one massive blog post. 6:12 - that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. This verse is downright... Continuing from my previous post - just to keep things organized and not create one massive blog post.

6:12 - that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

This verse is downright impressive to me. Looking ahead, we see an example of those we should imitating in Hebrews 11. Being sluggish is so easy, however, in a culture that promotes ease and comfort. Many things need to come quickly and exactly when we want it - we don't like to wait. Faith is, however, by its very definition as found in chapter 11:1 something that we cannot see and don't yet have in our possession. When we look through the pages of Scripture, we find that faith and patience often go hand in hand. God values endurance and character, which are built primarily through the testing and building of faith through waiting. Mmmmm...I love it! Hebrews 12 says we need to keep our eyes on the goal, just like Jesus. That's what this verse says too: through faith and patience we will inherit the promises!

Let me just touch on one more, though I could keep going for quite a while:

Hebrews 10:31 - It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

It seems that nowadays there is more and more an emphasis on the love of God. While this is not a bad thing, it is often accompanied by a loss of vision of the holiness of God. I'm once again filled with awe and reverence and amazement at the greatness of God when I read here that it is a terrifying thing to fall into His hands. If only we had this perspective every moment of every day. May the fear of the Lord increase in our lives as well as the love of God. ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/1278-Musings-The-Book-of-Hebrews-(2) http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/1277-Musings-The-Book-of-Hebrews-(1) Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:24:53 GMT This afternoon, I decided to read through the book of Hebrews. Well, I began in chapter three and read through until the end of chapter ten. Quite illogical, but once again I was struck by the depth and richness of the book of Hebrews. I love how... This afternoon, I decided to read through the book of Hebrews. Well, I began in chapter three and read through until the end of chapter ten. Quite illogical, but once again I was struck by the depth and richness of the book of Hebrews. I love how the author speaks of entering God's rest, of the priesthood in the order of Melchizedek being better than that of the order of Levi, of a better ministry in Christ, of the earthy tabernacle being a mere picture of the heavenly tabernacle, of the awesome nature of God. I cannot even begin to put into words how reading the Word of God blesses me - it strengthens my spirit in a way I cannot explain, invigorates me spiritually.

Here are just a few verses that encouraged, amazed, and blessed me.

4:9 and 11 - There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God...let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest...

I love how this talks about rest. There is a place of rest with God, a place of resting from our works through faith in Christ. I love how we're encouraged to be diligent to enter that rest.

5:9 - And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.

The word 'source' in that verse just struck me. I mean, it's obvious that Jesus is the source of our salvation...but I just could help but marvel at the implications of that. Everything pertaining to salvation and life originates in Christ, just like Colossians states that "all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ". To know that everything is found in Christ...wow, it just blows me away.

To be continued... ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/1277-Musings-The-Book-of-Hebrews-(1) http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/645-Drained Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:02:48 GMT The past few months have been emotionally draining. After my sweetheart left on the 6th of January, we've had some of the toughest months to date. I cannot deny that being apart has begun to take its emotional toll on me. Over the past few weeks, I have been randomly waking up at night with my mind racing a mile a minute and my heart beating in my chest. Anxiety, friends tell me.

This weekend, I ruined my sweetheart's weekend. The big problem is that we cannot sit face-to-face, look into each other's eyes, and talk through the issues that pop up at times. Thankfully, we love each other to pieces and are both eagerly looking forward to being together and never being apart anymore...but the road there is long and hard. As Avalon sings it:

"Come and fill my heart with hope
Come and fill my life with love
Come and fill my soul with strength to carry on
Because from here the climb is steep, the road is long." ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/645-Drained http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/640-Higher-Ways Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:43:18 GMT A song by Steven Curtis Chapman that expresses how I feel. :cry:

If I could only fly
I'd go up and look down from the sky
So I could see the bigger picture
And Lord if I could sit with You
At Your feet for an hour or two
I'm sure I'd ask too many questions
'Cause there's so much going on down here
That I must confess I just don't understand

BRIDGE
But I have prayed
And at your feet my whole life has been laid
So I wont worry I wont be afraid
'Cause my soul is resting on Your higher ways
Let the road ahead become unclear
I am Yours so what have I to fear
If my soul is resting on Your higher ways

CHORUS
Your higher ways teach me to trust You
Your higher ways are not like mine
Your higher ways are the ways of the Father
Hiding His children in His love

BRIDGE
So let it rain
And if my eyes grow dim with tears of pain
This hope I have will not be washed away
'Cause my soul is resting on Your higher ways

Someday I will fly and
Maybe then You will take me aside
And show me the bigger picture
But until I'm with You
I'll be here with a heart that is true
And a soul that's resting on
Your higher ways

]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/640-Higher-Ways http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/620-Come-Away Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:46:05 GMT When I went to Bible School, I quickly developed an essential habit: spending 45 minutes to an hour at the start of each day in the Presence of God in the chapel. Though this meant getting up at 5 a.m. and though those times were rarely spectacular,... When I went to Bible School, I quickly developed an essential habit: spending 45 minutes to an hour at the start of each day in the Presence of God in the chapel. Though this meant getting up at 5 a.m. and though those times were rarely spectacular, I see now how they brought the Presence of God to the rest of my life and empowered me to walk in the Spirit.

Since graduating, these times have slowly dwindled to the point where I now spend maybe 10-15 minutes praying at the start of the day, but it's not "in His Presence" as it used to be and it doesn't provide me with the spiritual, emotional, and even physical strength it used to.

Tonight, I had only had 20 minutes to speak with my fiancée. I miss her and being home alone, didn't know what to do with myself. I thought of playing a computer game, coming on this forum, doing facebook, or watching TV...but I felt God drawing me. As I began to play the piano, His Presence came. Strangely enough, I began to sing prophetically to myself to "come away" in God's Presence. God was telling me to not escape to the computer, TV, or other activities. They cannot provide rest, strength, and recovery - only the Presence of God can do that.

And I felt like God is calling some people on this forum as well...calling them to come away from the activity, the busy-ness, the "keeping yourself occupied", and dare to come away and be alone with God. Bring worship music if that helps you, but come and be alone with God. You will find the strength and comfort you need. After all, "In His Presence is fulness of joy; at His right hand pleasures forevermore".

Why not invest in what will give you lasting peace, strength, joy, and the faith you need to be who God needs you to be? ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/620-Come-Away http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/583-Lies Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:15:23 GMT Do you ever have things like this or am I the only one? One day you're up and full of faith, the next you feel deflated and ready to give up. What looked bright and sunny yesterday, appears dark and gloomy today. The result is often a mood where you just feel like crawling into bed and go to sleep, hoping that reality looks better when you wake up.

My weekend was like that. Thursday and Friday, I could tell my faith was being tested. God had recently spoken to me to raise my shield of faith, so I tried as best as I could to keep my shield up. Then something happened on Friday that caught me off-guard and seemed to shatter my shield. The fiery darts began to penetrate my armor and I could feel the lies of the enemy taking a hold of my mind - well, I didn't realize it then...but I do now!

From there, it was all downhill. My Saturday was dull and dreary, my Sunday downright depressing. Until God spoke to my heart while doing the dishes. An old Keith Green song came to mind called "Lies". In this song, Keith sings about the lies of the enemy that make us weak and deflate our faith. Suddenly, I realized that all these gloomy thoughts, this dark perspective of reality came from the enemy and the lies he was whispering in my ear. Because I was listening, all ability to fight had just left me completely.

Interestingly enough, that revelation in itself was all I needed to raise my shield again. God had been speaking James 1:2-4 to my heart throughout the weekend, but I hadn't been willing to listen: "Count it all joy, brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full result, so that you will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Many times, God brings difficult circumstances to cause our faith to grow. Those circumstances bring our weaknesses to the surface, but that is a good thing - that way, we can give them to God and He can grow our faith. And it produces endurance, the ability to outlast the devil and his temptations, the stick-to-it-iveness we all need in this life.

I thank God for trials. I thank God for this weekend. ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/583-Lies http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/556-Counting-Down Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:17:15 GMT 249 days...is a loooong time. People tell me it will be over before I know it. But they're not sitting in this office; their fiancee is not on the other side of the Atlantic. I cried like a little kid yesterday while sitting on my bed. I cannot help it - what can I do? Only the grace of God can keep us sane. I love her to pieces and know the wait will be more than worth it. And we started at 289 days, so it's not all that bad...but it's a long time still. ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/556-Counting-Down http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/472-The-Other-Side-Of-Me Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:21:03 GMT What do you see when you look at me? Do you see an intelligent, anointed, musically and socially gifted individual without a care in the world on his mind? Do you see the optimistic Dutchman that is always in for a good discussion? Do you see the... What do you see when you look at me? Do you see an intelligent, anointed, musically and socially gifted individual without a care in the world on his mind? Do you see the optimistic Dutchman that is always in for a good discussion? Do you see the theologian that knows his verses and knows what he believes?

What about the other side of me? I see all those things you see, too. Yes, God has truly blessed me...but what about that other side of me? I must confess to you that I am mostly blind to that other side of me. You probably see it better than I do. For you, I'm guessing it doesn't take much to see the self-centered, shallow, and superficial side of me. You're confronted almost daily with the emotion-driven me whose love and compassion seems to last only as long as the feelings that accompany them.

Though I've caught a glimpse of the other side of me from time to time, I must confess that only now I am beginning to see it more clearly. And with all the gifts, knowledge, anointing, and theological education, I find one essential ingredient strangely scarce in the make-up of me: Love. Not that I don't have love - I love the Lord, I love Ruth to pieces and would give my life for her. But so much of my love is...shallow. Imperfect. Lacking.

So here I am, at the cross, with the other side of me. I cannot change myself, so all I can do is to ask God to reveal to me this other side of me...so that I can lay it down and let Him fill me with His love, grace, compassion, and character.

Lord, here I am - including that other side. ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/472-The-Other-Side-Of-Me http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/458-The-Art-Of-Obtaining-A-K1-Fiancé-Visa Sat, 12 Jan 2008 08:27:24 GMT When I found out that meeting the requirements of bringing my fiancée to Holland is almost impossible for me at this point in time, we decided to go for the other option: bringing me to the States. This was the easier option, it seemed...and it is.... When I found out that meeting the requirements of bringing my fiancée to Holland is almost impossible for me at this point in time, we decided to go for the other option: bringing me to the States. This was the easier option, it seemed...and it is. But easier definitely does not mean easy! What do I mean? Take a look...

First a petition needs to be submitted by Ruth. She needs an I-129F form, a copy of her passport, a G325-a form filled in and signed by both her and me, a passport-size photograph of me taken within the past 30 days, and two original letters stating our intent of marrying each other. Well, that's not so bad, right? Except that you have to pay $455,- in order to even submit the petition!

Once they receive it, you get a so-called NOA1. Then you wait for the NOA2, which means the petition has been approved. Before I actually have the interview at the American Consulate in Amsterdam, 160-210 days have passed!! Since our wedding is in 279 days...we're very eager to get this process started. And you don't want to know the amount of paperwork I need to submit to the consulate. Very not funny...

God help me! ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/458-The-Art-Of-Obtaining-A-K1-Fiancé-Visa http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/311-Encountering-God Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:55:55 GMT As I do every morning, I was seeking the Lord before going to work this morning. Sometimes those times are exciting, but more often than not I do not have any particularly exhilirating experience. I just talk to God about what is on my heart and... As I do every morning, I was seeking the Lord before going to work this morning. Sometimes those times are exciting, but more often than not I do not have any particularly exhilirating experience. I just talk to God about what is on my heart and that's that.

While pacing the floor a few hours ago, I suddenly started wondering and asked the Lord, "Lord, would I notice if you didn't show up this morning?" The thought startled me. What if this pacing the floor and praying thing becomes such a force of habit that I don't notice when God moves to the fringes of my experienc and my relationship becomes religion? What if Jesus has left the building and I never noticed?

So I began to pray and tell the Lord that this morning, I wanted to know the difference; I wanted to know that He had showed up. Not long after I prayed that, a fire of prayer began to burn in my heart like I haven't experienced for quite a while. It seemed as though the veil was lifted and the Holy Spirit revealed Jesus Christ to me (2 Corinthians 3). Suddenly, my prayer was transformed and became truly spirit-breathed.

20 minutes later I had to stop, but I felt refreshed, renewed, and filled with a fresh fire. I thank God for meeting me this morning. I don't want to stay at the bottom of His mountain and dance around my version of Him. No, I want to go up the mountain and encounter Him and be changed by His glory. ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/311-Encountering-God http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/305-How-I-Lost Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:56:26 GMT Some nights, you play pool and nothing goes right. Other nights, you play pool and everything goes right. And then some nights, almost everything goes right but you still end up losing. After my last game of snooker, I decided to read up on... Some nights, you play pool and nothing goes right. Other nights, you play pool and everything goes right. And then some nights, almost everything goes right but you still end up losing.

After my last game of snooker, I decided to read up on some techniques. Very useful, since I had only been copying what I saw the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry do on TV. The result was astonishing: I potted almost all my balls without any problem and even managed a subtle chip of the black in the end to clinch the first game.

Things went sour after that. My cousin lost all joy in the game immediately and my compassion got the better of me. I played less concentrated but still managed to pot all my balls before my cousin did. The final, dreaded black ball then messed things up for me in both the second and third game.

The result? I played better snooker than I ever had but still lost. And I'm still wondering how that happened... ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/305-How-I-Lost http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/282-From-One-Scarred-Hand-To-The-Other Sun, 09 Dec 2007 08:31:22 GMT Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight
I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned
But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west
'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me
You're holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
One scarred hand to the other
From one scarred hand to the other

By Casting Crowns ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/282-From-One-Scarred-Hand-To-The-Other http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/215-Practical-Christianity Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:18:46 GMT As I was driving to work a few days ago, I thought about the Scripture I had read that morning. 1 John 3 had told me that those who practise righteousness are of God while those who practise sin are not of God. That startling statement produced a... As I was driving to work a few days ago, I thought about the Scripture I had read that morning. 1 John 3 had told me that those who practise righteousness are of God while those who practise sin are not of God. That startling statement produced a chain-reaction of thoughts about works, renewing the mind, the world, grace, and our information-saturated culture.

If you look at the world we live in today, you find that information is presented to us from every side. The internet, TV, billboards, newspapers, magazines, books...it's hard to escape so many words entering our minds. In the chaos of all that information inside my head, I find that reading my Bible can become another excercize of just adding information to my (already nearly exploding) brain.

But then I read a statement such as the one in 1 John 3 and I'm reminded that God wants to do more than add information; He wants to transform my thinking. So many movies, shows, articles, and opinions - whether I know it or not - affect and change my perspective on reality. The dangerous result may very well be a view of the world and of God that does not correspond with God's reality. These changes occur so subtly that we often don't see them until they've taken us way off course.

Our thinking about righteousness and righteous living is no different. Somehow, the thinking has seeped into the minds of many believers that as long as you believe in Jesus, you're ok. You're forgiveness, cleansed, sanctified, made righteous, and going to heaven, so why worry? Or perhaps we listen to psychology, the scientific take on things, and end up with a secular view on solving problems, merely covered with a religious sauce. We might even look at the average Joe in church, make the behavior of the crowd our standard, and think we're ok.

Mind you, all these things happen quite sub-consciously. I believe, however, that if we take the time to look at ourselves and our view of reality in the light of the Bible, we will see that we need a radical paradigm shift towards a Biblical way of thinking. A person who is righteous practices righteousness. So if a person structurally does not practice righteousness, what does that mean? Well, John's rather simple conclusion is that they must not be righteous then! Read 1 John 3 and judge for yourself!

What is this about then, about doing works and earning our righteousness? No. James does say, however, that faith without actions is dead. And what is more, John says in this same chapter 3 that the commandment we need to keep is to believe in the name of Jesus and love the brothers. But loving the brothers, he says in verse 16, means laying your life down for them! A daunting task indeed - for any saint!

What John is saying, then, is that Christianity is not vague, theoretical, and 'positional,' but that it is very practical. True faith produces visible and tangible results and fruit in the lives of believers, results in righteous practices, and causes a person to lay down their life for their brothers and sisters.

As I wrap up this chronicle of my mind, let me join with John and encourage us to 'not love in word or with talk, but to love in deed and in truth'. Or as Petra once sang:

"There's too much talk and not enough walk. Sometimes's God's children should be seen and not heard."

]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/215-Practical-Christianity http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/184-Daily-Manna-and-A-Withered-Hand Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:26:05 GMT Sometimes you hear sermons that you forget almost right away. Other times you hear sermons that you want to forget but can't. On a rare occasion, you hear a sermon that you remember the rest of your life. And then there is that sermon that strikes a chord in your heart, a sermon that God uses to remind you of something you already know but need to hear again.

Yesterday was one of those days that I heard the latter kind. The preaches spoke from Luke 6:6, the man with the withered hand. We know the story of how Jesus told the man to come forward, to stretch out his hand, and how the hand was healed. What this preached highlighted was the fact that the man could have chosen to stay seated. He could have chosen not to stretch out his hand.

The truth is that we all have our scars from the past. We all have things that have in some way marred us or hurt us. A sad fact is also that many of us try to hide that hurt, that defect in some way. How can I show the world what is wrong with me? How can I possibly be open and honest about that?!?

Apparently, a hand withers because of a lack of fluid transported to it, something medical docters call 'atrophia'. Does this happen to us spiritually sometimes too? We don't get our daily manna, and as a result, our spiritual hands begin to wither and lose their function. Our spiritual functionality is greatly inhibited by our lack of receiving daily nourishment, daily manna. A spiritual deformation takes place and creates a hurt, a scar, a defect that we would rather hide than show to the world.

But that is what I admire in this man in Luke 6. When Jesus says, "come here," the man comes. When Jesus asks him to stretch out his hand, he does. He's not afraid to be open and honest about his defect, his deformation, his hurt, his past. He's not afraid because he knows that Jesus knows, cares, and wants to heal. And he knows Jesus cannot heal unless he stretches out that which is deformed to Jesus.

The sermon reminded me that I need daily manna, a daily revelation from the throne of God. I was also reminded that we need to dare to be open in the Body of Christ about the defects and deformations we have. We need to dare to give them to Jesus so Jesus can heal them. ]]> Pilgrimtozion http://bibleforums.org/entry.php/184-Daily-Manna-and-A-Withered-Hand