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!
A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man holds it in check. Proverbs 29:11
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Me: Hello Father!
Abba: Good afternoon, Jon!
Me: Father, what is the relationship between being foolish and being arrogant?
Abba: The scripture points out that “the fear of the Lord” is the beginning of Wisdom. (Wisdom is an antonym of foolishness.)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes (arrogant): fear the Lord and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel [1], and marrow [2] to thy bones.
Proverbs 3
Even as the umbilical sustained you in the womb, your connection to Me will sustain you in life. You did not create the umbilical connection before your birth. That is of My wisdom. You will not sustain yourself in life as I intend if you persist in your own strength.
Me: Thank You Father! I love You!
Abba: You are welcome! I love you!
[1] Literally, umbilical. Figuratively, the center of strength
Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
Matthew 17:17
He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
Mark 9:19
And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.
Luke 9:41
Me: Good evening Jesus!
Jesus: Good evening, Jon!
Me: You know, Jesus, that last week I sat through another of those talks about improving one’s approach to the different attitudes and beliefs of the generations. It seems to me the basis of the books and lectures I have been exposed to is that every “generational cohort” has a set of more-or-less common experiences that shape outlooks.
Jesus: What did they say that resonated with you?
Me: I can certainly see a foundation for the notion that major life events could shape one’s thinking. I thought of my own upbringing during the cold war, complete with nonsensical duck and cover drills in grade school. Many in my generation developed fatalistic attitudes, not expecting to reach adulthood.
Jesus: Fatalistic attitudes are not limited to your generation. Why do you say the drills were nonsensical?
Me: A little later in life, when I had real NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) warfare training in the military, and had seen from close-in video records how the shockwave of a nuclear yield tosses everything in the air and then blows it away. I saw pictures of items further out etched on regular walls by the flash. I realized that ducking under a school desk with one’s hands on his head was really a kind of placebo, not a survival tactic.
Jesus: What did you find most eye opening from the presentation on generational interaction?
Me: One thing was hearing the defining anxiety for the latest generation getting to working age (gen-Z, I think) is fear of the consequences of global warming. That it would be incumbent upon employers to present their best “sustainable” face in order to attract and retain these workers because they had a need to feel they were “part of the solution rather than part of the problem”. Another thing was that at least part of the Millennial generation in the United States was strongly shaped by the events of September 11th, 2001.
I had just finished watching a documentary on the collapse of the Twin Towers and building 7 that brought up a lot of unanswered questions and asserted the discovery of residue of high tech thermite in the debris along with steel micro-spheres, which require molten steel to form. Those assertions (with many others) and those explanations that have commonly been put forth are at odds.
During the section in the presentation relating the different concerns shaping the various generations, It immediately occurred to me that no mater the generation, if these things were the defining events, they were all also highly politicized and the narratives that had been put forth were carefully constructed. They all bear the marks of propaganda designed to produce fear.
Jesus: Your observation about playing on fear is as accurate as it is intentional by those involved. Worse things are coming ahead of My return, nonetheless.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luke 21:25-27
Yet those who listen to Me hear My admonition to fear not.
But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Luke 12:31-33
Perfect Love gets rid of fear.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1
John 4:18
And fear of any but Me is inconsistent with who I Am. To be made perfect in love is to grow in perfect relationship with Me. That is not of your own doing, but My gift, if you will accept it.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:8
Me: What about the influence of the parents on the next generation?
Jesus: I gave parents the responsibility for raising their children.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
Deuteronomy 11:18-20
Most have vested this responsibility in stewards from whom they have required no accountability. Many have abdicated altogether. Your nation has adopted law pertaining to public schools contrary to My instructions in Deuteronomy 11 for parents. Much more often than parents know, their children are taught that the beliefs of their parents are outdated and wrong. So even if parents endeavor to teach My principles for life at home, they are being undermined in many cases.
I have given plenty of warning that the spiritual condition of parents has long-term consequences.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exodus 20:5
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Exodus 34:7
The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Numbers 14:18
Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
Deuteronomy 5:9
You know anger often comes in response to fear. Consider these instructions.
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
Colossians 3:21
Me: The presenter of the talk on generational interactions said over and over that different beliefs and outlooks are not wrong and need to be embraced by the other generations, written into policy, and trained into the workforce. It seemed to me an assertion that moral relativism was fine. Just. Fine. Truth? What Pilate said…
Jesus: Here is a truth you can count on.
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 14:12, 16:25
I want to talk to you about another passage that you have not recognized is related.
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
Matthew 11:16-17
Do you recognize the voice of the children of this generation? Saying to each other, “Fall into line with us. Do as we say is right and you will be accepted.”
“Peer pressure” and “Wokeness” are the order of the day. But I Am saying, “Listen to My voice! Set your heart on things above! Be filled with My Spirit! Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 7:12-14
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
Me: Thank You Jesus! I love You! I pray you will help me have the right attitudes.
Jesus: You are welcome! I Am working on your attitudes as you submit them to Me. I love you!
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, That you may be wise the rest of your days. Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the Lord will stand. Proverbs 19:20-21
Who doesn’t want to be wise? And, I like this plan better than any of my own:
For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
So, what’s the problem? It is not about a lack of competent instruction, or the good will of God. Maybe, as the proverb above starts out, the trouble is listening and accepting. Maybe there is a need to walk in faith toward that hopeful future.
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.Matthew 11:28
Me:
Good morning Jesus!
Jesus:
Good morning Jon!
Me:
I am grateful for some time off of work to rest and to be able to concentrate more on time with You!
Jesus:
If you would recognize that I have offered to help you with the burdens of your work and bring them to Me more, you would not be so much in need of rest. The notion that you have the primary responsibility for it all is the world’s notion and you have been programmed with it thoroughly. It is contrary to the principle of a branch abiding in the vine. All the life-giving strength comes from the vine. The leaves of the branch support transpiration, giving the moisture in the sap some place to go. All this works in the environment that I designed: sunshine and rain and richness of soil. You know, this process in a plant is a parallel of the process of you learning of Me and growing in understanding.
Me:
How so, Jesus?
Jesus:
The branch is tiny at first. A mere tendril sprouting from the main trunk of the vine. It abides in the vine and is nourished, receiving from the vine everything it needs to grow. As it grows, it is able to take more and more of what the vine supplies. The branch provides the place for fruit to develop and acts in concert with the vine. It is part of the whole. The undeveloped branch does not possess the capacity to carry all the fruit requires. Nor does it have the physical strength to support the weight of the fruit. If it abides long enough in the vine, though, it develops both the capacity and the strength to bear fruit.
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver
And her gain better than fine gold.
She is more precious than jewels;
And nothing you desire compares with her. [Proverbs 3:13-16]
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.[Proverbs 9:10]
… We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,Colossians 1:9b
Me:
Good morning Holy Spirit!
Holy Spirit:
Good morning Jon!
Me:
There is a magnificent wealth of things in this verse to thank You for and to ask You more about! Thank You for the example of being able to ask on behalf of others for filling with the knowledge of the will of God. Thank You for the revelation that You bestow “all the wisdom and understanding” and that they are a gift.
Holy Spirit:
You’re welcome! Thegiftis of the will of God. That is to say, The Father has decreed it, the Son has enabled you to receive it, and I Am delivering it.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
Me:
Is the failure to pray like this at the bottom of the apparent lack of unity – among even those who consider themselves believers – concerning what God is directing?
Holy Spirit:
It is one minor reason. Do not worry about unity. What those who bring that up usually mean is, “Why won’t you come over here and help me with my program?” Unity in the way you mean it would be automatic if all were communing with Me and listening with unfettered hearts and doing what they hear with unbridled enthusiasm. That is the only “unity” that matters. The creation is intricately designed and all the parts have their own unique character and diverse purpose, yet they comprise the perfectly conceived and orchestrated whole. I Am doing many things in all places in the administration of the will of God.
Me:
Is there a requirement for asking this filling?
Holy Spirit:
Two.
Me:
Two?
Holy Spirit:
A vital relationship with God.
Me:
And the other?
Holy Spirit:
A relationship with the person you are asking Me to fill with the knowledge and understanding of the will of God.
Me:
What kind of relationship?
Holy Spirit:
Enough to see the difference when I answer. Enough to be overjoyed in it. In short, those you love.
Missionary Sojourn 