God’s blessing and provision doesn’t come as a result of our hard work. God’s provision comes as a result of God’s generosity and hard work is the small part he asks of us in return. Work teaches us something more about the process through which he provides so that our gratitude can be more sincere and come from the heart.
Why does it seem to be that only in our pain and suffering that the image of Christ in our hearts grows more radiant and compelling? Why does the splendor of His beauty become illuminated in our troubles more than in our blessing or success? Is it connected to the fact that he was called a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief even in prophecy? Is this perhaps why He made it so abundantly clear that he never promised to lead us away from suffering but rather right into the heart of it? Is it because that’s where he resides as one of his most familiar places? And how can we truly know a person if we don’t spend any time where they live?
from journal some time in 2008:
Why is the deepness and solitude of the night the mother of most of our children as artists (at least many of us)? The sights, sounds, and moments of inspiration in the day find their true depth and meaning in the quiet reflection of night where we carefully unravel deeper sources of meaning that spin the threads of truth we hold on to…the things that move us beyond mere existence into passionate living. As I watch a tribute commemorating the top musicians of the world leaving their best on a stage before the eyes of man I am struck by how clearly different are the things that fuel their passions (top 20 Grammy award performances).
I am stirred with passion again to reflect the exceeding beauty and grandeur of my Lord and King to the eyes of man…something so impossible to achieve and yet the only truly worthy pursuit as an artist *. In this endeavour will we know his delight and on this ground is the battle waged with the enemy who would seek to magnify our broken humanity to the point that it suffocates the joy of our inspired play with God. This enemy would have us believe that all the discipline and patience, all that labor and slow plodding development, and all the cost both to self and to family/friends who support us is not worth the meager yield we have to show.
How fragile many of us artists are and vulnerable to these messages from the enemy and from our own heads. But God has given me a secret weapon in the form of my wife who tells me she doesn’t care what i show for it…even if it’s just scribbles it is something I have to keep alive and keep pursuing for the sake of God who gave me the gifts and for my own children’s sake. There is truth in this and I hear the voice of God speaking as if directly to me through her beautiful mouth. May my scribbles and scratches never cease until something of beauty finally emerges to wash the feet of Jesus.
* I’m not speaking here of literally depicting religious subject matter in my art but rather an attitude of devotion to God that is earnestly reaching for Him and responding to Him through my gifts. All attention this might generate is then an opportunity to turn that attention back to the preoccupying focus of my life which is the beauty of Christ.
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace”
Unity comes with a common desire and pursuit of the Truth. There can be disagreements, even strong ones, but unity can remain when we are all committed to finding out what God’s opinion is about things over and above just what makes sense to us.
“Dialog is the path to learning Torah, not monologue” Tim Hegg. The Jewish Rabbi’s used to invite debate and disagreement, believing it sharpened their understanding of truth and helped them separate the dross from the gold.
God promises to make Abraham a blessing. the word for blessing in other places is translated as a pool of water. Other places the reference “to bless” represents the act of coming on bended knees with a gift. The great mystery of the Aaronic blessing is the image that god wants to come to us on bended knee and give us a gift. He wants to “bless” the ones he loves…this gift is eternal life. Not bad huh?
“Fear not you worm Jacob”…Worm is the word Towla (strong’s 8438) means the crimson grub, can mean crimson or scarlet as a color. Ps 22:6 messianic psalm, he says i am a worm…as a worm he was crushed but became the redeemer. though your sins be like scarlet they shall be whiter than snow…same word as worm.
I caught a fiew minutes on the New Day channel with Brad Jersak being interviewed in a discussion about discernment. He pointed out a common misunderstanding about the Bereans as many today who look at developments in faith communities with a skeptic’s perspective, often criticizing other denominations, considering themselves to be like the Bereans. Brad pointed out that those people aren’t being Bereans at all because they were commended for testing the words spoken to them with open hearts. That openness to God’s word coming from “other” sources along with the diligence to test it by scripture is what makes them memorable…I think it’s about willingness to put in the effort to sort the wheat from the chaff.
God can speak from very unlikely sources and we need not be fearful or cynical in order to protect ourselves. there are many voices out there that aren’t God but it is possible to discern the difference. My experience is that it takes a steady progression in trust and faith…putting our weight on sometimes precarious feeling footholds.
this was circulated by email and had some good advice for daily living:
An Angel says, ‘Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn’t happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.’
1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest
18.. Eat right.
19 Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait until it’s time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good ‘Thank you Jesus .’
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can)
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego
33 Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you’re grateful for that you’ve never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAYOF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.