Meme: Psalm 139

 

a preliminary blurb about the Apostle John's Theology.

In the Apostle John's writings, he not only has multiple titles for Christ, including the "divine Word" or "inspired Word", meaning his is a very real and pressing manifestation of God, but he also has terms for God in theological terms.

God is light: "in him was no darkness at all."

God is truth: "[if we are not true believers]then we do not the truth."

God is love: in the communion of brotherly love, we are united at once by objective truth and that communal love in our fellowship.

GOD=LIGHT=TRUTH=LOVE.

some selections from spurgeon, tozer and even Kenneth Copeland.

Jesus never built a worldly empire for Himself. But that doesn't mean He was poor. It means He was the greatest giver who ever walked the face of this earth, and it's time we started following in His footsteps. -Kenneth Copeland

The fountain is always full, always efficacious. No sinner ever went into it and found that it could not wash away his stains. Sins which were scarlet and crimson have all disappeared, and the sinner has been whiter than snow. -Charles Spurgeon

If all these things are to be had by merely knocking at mercy's door, O my soul, knock hard this morning, and ask large things of thy generous Lord. Leave not the throne of grace till all thy wants have been spread before the Lord, and until by faith thou hast a comfortable prospect that they shall be all supplied. No bashfulness need retard when Jesus invites. No unbelief should hinder when Jesus promises. No cold-heartedness should restrain when such blessings are to be obtained. -Charles Spurgeon

On my knees I have been given freedom and strength to pray, "Now, Lord, I have had enough of this-I refuse to take any more of this heaviness and oppression! This does not come from God-this comes from my enemy, the devil! Lord, in Jesus' name, I will not take it any longer— through Jesus Christ I am victor!" At these times, great burdens have just melted and rolled away—all at once. -AW Tozer

December 5, 2020 Verse of the Day.

Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. -John 10

Jesus says "verily, verily.." which is in the old manuscripts, "amen, amen..."  Which colors a seemingly toss away modifier as something much more.  In today's vernacular, the pastors intersperse an "amen" hear or there, as if seconding something from the Heavenly Father.

"amen, amen..."

instead, in translation, we are given the awkward, "verily, verily..."

It is quite something to puzzle over my friends, Christ saying "amen, amen..." to begin a statement.

"the door of the sheep..."

is a translation of "ho thyra probaton..." 

Psalm 32 from Young's Literal Translation.

O the happiness of him whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

O the happiness of a man, To whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

When I have kept silence, become old have my bones, Through my roaring all the day.

David speaks of a pressure exerted on him before he confessed his sins.  Everyone knows in part, this pressure that comes from sinful behavior, to let it go and give in to corrupted things: bad acts torment most people who know better, they eat at a person in ways we don't readily understand.

If we wanted a mystical reading, we could see this third verse as a man fighting against himself, how people so often work against their own best interests in the interests of expediency and perceived gains.

Such is often the way that one bad act spawns more bad acts, such as one bad act dictating bad acts to cover the first bad act, kind of a "self-defeating prophecy" that goes to work in one's life.  Many say this is the Eternal Enemy, Satan himself, and his demons, at work in our hearts that lead us to these bad acts.

Since the Age of Enlightenment, we now blame ourselves for our bad acts; we don't blame demons for types of mental disease.  Though we had men like Kierkegaard and Spinoza extolling God to their fellow thinkers, God had partly fallen away, leaving man in a cloak of guilt and self-blame.

If only, that first verse: a covering for our iniquities, the erasure of blame!

That third verse again: his roaring.  He had perhaps a spiritual emptiness before he handed it over to God, and he worked against himself all day, and was spiritually empty during the night.

Until God.

He found God a refuge and a ready and willing help, a deliverer.

O the happiness of him

as the King James has it:

"Blessed is the man..." 

Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

Give to the site if you so choose. 

Cashapp: $origen1979

Verse of the day/selections. Sunday December 4, 2022

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. -John 8

Our sighs are sacred things, too hallowed for us to tell abroad. We keep our longings to our Lord alone. -Charles Spurgeon

Human curiosity and pride often combine to drive us to try to understand acts of God which are plainly outside the field of human understanding. We dislike to admit that we do not know what is going on, so we torture our minds trying to fathom the mysterious ways of the Omniscient One. It's hard to conceive of a more fruitless task... -AW Tozer

The lake must be calm if the heavens are to be reflected on its surface. -LB Cowman

We need shield and buckler, and when we implicitly trust God, even as the chick trusts the hen, we find His truth arming us from head to foot. The LORD cannot lie; He must be faithful to His people; His promise must stand. This sure truth is all the shield we need. Behind it we defy the fiery darts of the enemy. -Charles Spurgeon

Life without war is impossible in the natural or the supernatural realm. It is a fact that there is a continuing struggle in the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual areas of life. -Oswald Chambers

Readings and some selections December 3, 2022.

READINGS:
 

Psalm 91
 

Psalm 118
 

Isaiah 57

Our perspective matters. If we chose to continually see things from man’s perspective, we will be discouraged and disappointed with the Lord. If we choose to get into the Word and see life from His perspective, we find joy peace and excitement by drawing closer to Him. -Daily Disciples.Org

It is the height of grace that Jehovah should be in covenant with man, a I feeble, sinful, and dying creature. Yet the LORD has solemnly entered into a faithful compact with us, and from that covenant He will never turn aside. In virtue of this covenant we are safe. As lions and wolves are driven off by shepherds, so shall all noxious influences be chased away. The LORD will give us rest from disturbers and destroyers; the evil beasts shall cease out of the land. -Charles Spurgeon 

"I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me and thou art become my salvation."

"The stone which the builders refused is become the stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.  This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."