Category: Jesus

Renewing Our Minds

I am grateful that our minds can be renewed.

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will

Romans 12:2, NIV

Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalms 57:7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

Psalms 63:6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.    

Psalms 77:12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

Psalms 104:34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

Me: Good morning, Father!

Abba: Good morning, Jon!

Me: How marvelous and powerful are these verses! They speak of delight, acceptance, strength, redemption, steadfastness, song, praise, memory, speech, sweetness, and gladness!

Abba: All those passages speak of benefits of engaging with what I have said (I Am saying). Among those references from the Psalms, only Psalms 57:7 does not explicitly mention meditation. Look at the context in which David said it.

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah.

God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

Psalms 57

David uttered these words as he was hiding in a cave from King Saul, who wanted him dead. He was reminding himself of My mercy and faithfulness and thereby fortifying his heart against fear and despair. David consistently sang directly to Me from the heart. He found that this process diminished the fears plaguing the rational mind and strengthened his faith in Me. I will do the same for all who will turn their hearts to Me.

Consider your own time, you have not personally gotten down to hiding in caves yet, but there are plenty of voices vilifying any who would dare to say there is objective truth of any kind. Much more are those maligned who assert that My word is truth and that it ought to guide one’s actions from the heart. The one who wants to renew his mind from the lies the enemy of your souls is sowing into the world will assess what he hears in light of My word. My truth will set you free.

Me: Thank you, Father! I love You! I have long found You faithful. I have seen even long held destructive beliefs have eventually crumbled under the truth of Your word and the enlightenment afforded by Your Holy Spirit. David may have been hiding from Saul’s jealous wrath in a cave, but he was consistently putting his trust in You. I Pray You will continue to help me lay aside every wrong idea that I may have adopted. Some You have already dealt with, grew out of attempting to explain why certain things didn’t align with my expectations of how things “should” be. Never mind, that almost without exception, those things that were troubling me were consequences of my own unbelieving heart and sinful actions. When Your truth prompted me to finally lay those expectations aside and put my trust in what You have said, my life was able to soar above things that had mired me down for years. I know that Your way is beyond compare.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 139:23-24

Abba: You are welcome! I love you! I will continue speaking freeing truth to you as long as you keep seeking Me.

Graphic mine. Depicting some aspects related to the mind, heart, and spirit.

Easy?

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

Me: Good afternoon, Jesus!

Jesus: Good afternoon, Jon!

Me: Tell me more about this passage?

Jesus: Let’s continue, shall we?

Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:29-30

Me: You have borne the weight of all the sins of all the world for all time. Or, should I say, “are bearing” instead of, “have borne”? How can you say, “My burden is light”?

Jesus: My burden is light for you if you are in the yoke with Me. I have, and I Am bearing the load. Do not miss the charge to learn of Me. The wisdom of the world is not like My Wisdom.

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

James 3:13-18

The wisdom of earth is based on the senses. Seeing is believing, the scientific method, and so forth. On the dark side, there is delusion, propaganda, lies and deception. These things masquerade as wisdom, when they are anything but. Examples go back to near the beginning.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 3:6

Note that Eve was deciding based on physical sight. The wisdom she was sold was a mirage. She already had access to the wisdom that is full of mercy. You can recognize wisdom that I give. It is first pure. No strife, no confusion, no conflicting accounts. When it comes from Me, it comes with a sense of peace, down in your spirit. Only don’t let fear lurking in the mind mask the peace I send to accompany wisdom from above. The rest of those characteristics listed in James 3 are important as well.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

Me: Thank You Jesus! I am grateful for Your wisdom and Your Peace! I love You!

Jesus: You are welcome! I love you!

Photo by Alan Cabello on Pexels.com

Featured: Photo of yoked oxen by Sarau00ed Carrasco on Pexels.com

Transformation for a Purpose

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1-2 K JV

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12:1-2, The Message

The Lord was speaking to me about these verses as I was spending time with Him with my journal open earlier today, especially as it relates to the process of salvation if one recognizes the conceptual division of body, soul, and spirit. A blogging friend recently mentioned to me some thoughts she was developing along these lines. She put forth the notion that we are 100% saved, our whole being; body soul and spirit. I believe this is true. But, I would assert that it is true only in the ultimate sense because of the perfect faithfulness of God. I believe in the short term this process is more nuanced.

An earlier journal that I shared, Body, Heart, Soul and Spirit, might be useful in laying some background for what I am saying here. It has been a while since that post went live. In that writing, I highlighted the idea of our born-again spirits being “sealed” by the Holy Spirit in a protected state. I sincerely believe this is immediate at our acceptance of Christ as Savior, and irrevocable, except potentially by our own intention. (I cannot see God holding the unwilling convert hostage to his own profession of faith.) Even so, this brings to mind a passage that, it seems to me, is one of the most awesome reassurances in the Scripture.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31-39

If we consider the opening passage from Romans 12 followed these observations of Paul in Romans 8, I think we can say some strong things about the process of salvation of soul and body, once the spirit is redeemed. One thing we can observe is that our mind, will, and emotions (soul) are not immediately replaced at salvation. Romans 12:2 told us the mind had to be transformed and brought into subjection to the will of God. This involves some time and diligent work (2 Timothy 2:15). Most of us on this journey, on some honest introspection, can point to many wrong ideas that the Spirit, using the word of God, has faithfully relieved us of. In effect, we are participating in that process of “proving” or testing that the will of God is good and perfect by our life experience. We hope others will observe this positive change in us and want to know how to come along on the same trip.

A second observation is that Romans 12:1 talks about our bodies being presented as a living sacrifice. It seems to me that the Message translation has a lot to offer about recognizing that it is important what we do with our bodies. We are obviously commissioned to be ambassadors for Jesus while we are walking around (Matthew 28:16-20). We are better able to carry out that calling if we are behaving as good stewards of the bodies we have been given.

Further, Romans 8 has made it glaringly clear that these bodies are in peril of many kinds of danger and damage. I accept that these dangers are real, but I am in no wise fatalistic about them. David was in danger before Goliath, but he emerged victorious by the power of God. Nonetheless, we have just seen that even death cannot separate the believer from His love.

Never forget, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). We are called to continue in His leading. For sure in our own lives, and upholding our brothers and sisters in the battle also. We are commanded to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). No armor would be necessary if we were completely immune from the devil’s attacks.

A final thought. What of the one who dies soon after salvation? Would that person be stuck in an untransformed state of mind? I don’t think so. In 1 John 3:2 we find this:

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

I think the Spirit’s transforming work in our lives mostly serves the purpose of fitting us for the calling we have to carry out our commissioned work. It is not for the faint of heart. Walking around spiritually unprotected and unarmed by knowledge of the word of God (our sword, our one offensive weapon) is unwise.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1 Peter 5:8

Signs

The star appeared, bright celestial guide;
Magi traversed, priests of Persia, Median kings.
Angel appears Angel of the Lord;
Glorious multitude from heaven sings.
Shepherds fall down, cower in fear.
Peace, goodwill, God’s message rings.
Let us go and see, what we have heard;
Into Bethlehem, do they leave the sheep?
This is like nothing we have ever known;
Do the angels stay, their herds to keep?
Keep wolves at bay, with lambs lie down?
Under clear black sky, starry deep.
Just as the voice of the Lord had said;
The shepherds found as they’d been told.
Babe in a trough of rough-hewn wood;
But swaddled tight against the cold.
Our Savior appeared in humble state;
Through the plan of God was made of old.

Merry Christmas friends! Take a cue from the Magi and the shepherds. Search for Him and He will be found by you. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Wind and Fire

“Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock;and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Matthew 7:24-27

I was a little behind and I am grateful for a good night’s rest!

Me: Good afternoon, Father!

Abba: Good afternoon, Jon!

Me: I read a blog post from Nicola in the UK this morning that contained a prophecy of a mighty wind of Your holiness coming, that it would blow also against every house that has Your name associated with it. With that, You caused me to think of the passage above in Matthew seven.

Abba: Here is another passage on purging:

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

1 Corinthians 3:12-13

There is a picture of surviving this fire in Daniel, chapter three. Here is another passage from Jesus about purging:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

John 15: 1-14

I Am holy. I made you to be holy, as I Am holy. (Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:26; 1 Peter 1:15-16) My purging work in the lives of My children is an expression of My deep love. My pruning results in bearing the fruit of righteousness: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These traits are the expression of My rock-solid nature in you. If you permit My Spirit to do this work, you will be transformed as Jesus, the exact representation of My nature.

Standing on the Rock, here is a description of the needed change:

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

2 Corinthians 5:1-4

Jesus spoke of this move from earthly tent to spiritual house in this way:

 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

John 14:2-4

Clothed in My righteousness, standing upon the Rock of My Son, you will fear neither wind nor fire when they come, as they surely will.

Farm Sunrise

Contradiction

I am grateful You have adopted us!

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards [“illegitimate” sons, cruelly ignored by their shirking father], and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

Hebrews 12

Me: Good afternoon, Father!

Abba: Good afternoon, Jon!

Me: It is humbling to admit the truth of Hebrews 12:2 while at the same time an incalculable blessing to receive as a gift the faith in which we are now called to walk. Oh, the price paid to secure that gift for us! We have neither initiated it, nor are we capable of finishing the journey.

Why does the third verse speak of enduring the “contradiction of sinners against Himself”?

Abba: The word is ἀντιλογίαν (antilogian). It conveys opposition to His word, His message. This opposition persists today, even escalating as the end of the age draws neigh. Do not miss that Jesus’ sacrifice on your behalf – on behalf of all men – is timeless. He bore your sin, which at the time of the cross was yet future. He bears the opposition to His message in every time. Yet I am not willing that any should perish, but desire that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3) by accepting Our message. I want you to grow up into the fullness of what I designed you to be.

Isaiah saw and wondered, who would believe?

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4 Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was He stricken. 9 And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, He shall see his seed, He shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53

Jesus reinforced the importance of believing and explained the inoculation of the “world” against the truth. Only the ones who desire to see, will see.

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. 15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

John 14:6, 12-20

Me: Amazing, Father, how from the before Jesus’ incarnation, You were bearing witness to the message of Your love, demonstrated in Him! More remarkable still that you have given the Holy Spirit to bear witness to the truth in us! I love You!

Abba: I love you! Whatever you ask to convey the Truth I desire to convey, I will do. In fact, I Am doing. No matter the level of contradiction.

Truth + Love

But speaking the truth in love, [we] may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Ephesians 4:15

Truth without love is harsh and grating. (1 Corinthians 13:1)

Love without truth is at least misdirected and without power. Many serious errors are, even now, being promulgated under the banner of “love”. Thus, “love”, absent guiding truth, is not really love but merely fallible human sentiment. (1 Timothy 4:1)

But together! Truth wrapped in love, that is a different matter!

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:32

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins 

James 5:19-20

Baptism: Death, Burial and Resurrection

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Romans 6

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Matthew 3:11 (John the Baptist, speaking of Jesus.)

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Mark 16:16

Because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:20-21

Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Colossians 2:12

Me: Good evening, Jesus!
Jesus: Good evening, Jon!
Me: Thank You for these scriptures concerning baptism! I know the baptism of the Holy Spirit is most important. But please explain to me why receiving the Holy Spirit is referred to as a baptism?
Jesus: In water baptism, submersion is symbolic of death and burial of your old sin nature. The old you had to die, and new life had to be born in you. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3) Being raised from the water is symbolic of the new birth in Me. In baptism, then, you participate in my death and resurrection. This is what Paul was saying in Romans 6.

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

John 3

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Ephesians 5

This is My intention: That you be born of the Spirit and that you be washed by the water of the Word and transformed by it through the renewing of your mind. All who are children of My kingdom are growing in life. Giving the flesh to the things of the old life is counterproductive at the least and often destructive.
Me: Thank You Jesus! I love you!
Jesus: You are welcome! I love you!

Live and Let Live?

I am grateful for the week to rest and seek to grow deeper in my relationship with You!

Me: Good afternoon, Jesus!

Jesus: Good afternoon, Jon!

Me: You are awesome beyond compare! Despite my tendency to focus on myself, You are endlessly faithful. Your mercy is great and Your love is obvious in that You gave Yourself in our place to the cruel death that would be just punishment for us. You are innocent of all wrong. I am not. Yet you have exchanged Your innocence for my penalty and my penalty for Your innocence. I recognize that time does not constrain you in the way that it does flesh. All eternity is present and open before You. I do not see how that would exclude the cross and the shame of my own transgressions. Let me shy away from every sin that I might not heap up more of my guilt for You to have to bear.

I do have a question for you. (Don’t I always?)

Jesus: Yes?

Me: I have heard several speak this week about the principle of “tacit approval”. (I think that was the way Bill Federer put it). He brought out a number of scriptures that dealt with the idea that the failure to object is taken as complicity or approval in law and that the principle derives from scripture. I know one scripture that he used was in Numbers 30; that if a woman still under her father’s authority made a vow and her father heard of it and failed to veto it – kept silent – then her vow would stand. Likewise with a woman and her husband. However, if the father or husband objected, then the woman would be innocent of the vow before You.

I think he also spoke of a duty to reprove. Here is an example where you have deferred Your reproval and yet make it clear that it is coming.

Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s son. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

Psalm 50:20-22

Mr. Federer did talk of the passage that tells us to take the log out of our own eye before attempting to remove the spec of sawdust from our brother’s eye. And, of course, we all have our own sin.

So, my question is, what is our responsibility to call out the sin among us? You have given us free will to do the very things in question, things that grieve You when they are done.

Jesus: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31). Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4).

I remind you Bill used this passage from Proverbs:

If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

Proverbs 24:11-12

Are not those walking in habitual or intentional sin, who do not know Me, being drawn unto death? One who loves with My love will earnestly seek to point them to Me. If they refuse, it is upon their own head.

You know of the so-called “live and let live” philosophy. It supposes that the misdeeds of another are none of your concern. A better approach is to live and help live, if you are seeking to draw near to Me and the other will allow your exhortation. I will also point out that much of what you hear of is not within your sphere of influence. There is plenty, however, that is.

Me: Thank You Jesus! I love You! I pray that You will help me to have Your heart toward all.

Jesus: You are welcome! I love you! All that I Am working in you is toward transforming your heart in My love.

In Sterling Colorado

In His Image

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

John 1:16

I am grateful to be on the receiving end of Christ’s immeasurable gift of Himself on our behalf!

Me: Good morning, Holy Spirit!

Holy Spirit: Good morning, Jon!

Me: This scripture is a deep well. Other passages talking about fulness in relation to Jesus come to mind. (Thank You!)

For in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 

Colossians 2:9

God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Hebrews 1:1-3

Holy Spirit: These are pointing out that in Jesus, the original intent for man is perfectly manifest.

And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 1:26-27

John 1:16 spells out explicitly that in Him, all who will receive the gift of grace have that intent redeemed. Though not all have been renewed in it. Picture gifts presented, but unopened; understanding made available, but unconsidered; purpose commissioned, but unfulfilled; horizons unlimited, unseen.

Me: Help me, Holy Spirit to better fulfill my stewardship of this grace. Help me to lay down every weight that holds back, to banish every limiting lie that I have internalized!

Holy Spirit: That is precisely what I AM about. You have said that this is stewardship. That is true. See here:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Ephesians 2:8

And here:

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

5 Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, rid yourselves of all of them: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you stripped off the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it— 11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, and free, but Christ is all, and in all.

12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. 14 In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Colossians 3 (NASB)

Me: Thank You, Holy Spirit! I love You!

Holy Spirit: You are welcome! I love you!