kingdom of man (Sustenance – Extended)

December 11th, 2014

But–blessing and honor be to the LORD, always–God gave us a do-over. In the grace of God, we were allowed to return to a time of malleable innocence; such as Eve had. This is the time when; the opportunity for sustenance, as in the LORD, was refreshed–with the addition of new possibility and potentiality. At that time, we received this example of feasting, as in the LORD: Noah.

In Noah, sustenance was expanded, to include moral integrity, and acceptance of differences. At that time, we received our first diversity training lesson. From that time, forward; it was not sufficient for us, to only preserve our food chain. Also; from that time forward, we were pressed beyond catering to our desire for eye candy. Rather than catering to our eyes’ satisfaction, we had to accept things that; because, specific things were uniquely required by the other creations of God, they were of no direct, easily discernible benefit to us. To give us another type of sustenance, we were fed a goodly helping of such diversity.

As flowing from the time, and in the spirit, of Noah; this is the diversity that was pressed on us.

And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

  And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

(Genesis 7:1-5)

Sisters; imagine being locked in a room with your brother’s sweaty gym socks. Brothers; imagine being locked in a room full of spilled sister perfume, and mirrors with smeared facial treatments of the girl. Both of these captivities would be a fraction of what Noah had to endure, in order to maintain the sustenance for the physical continuity, and moral integrity, of the kingdom of man. I, for one, am impressed by Noah’s acceptance of the diversity of the Ark. More importantly, God was impressed by Noah; as Noah exited that diversity training session, and was of a ready mind to share of his sustenance, with God. We see that, here.

 

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– Explore kingdom of man: Part Six –

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Collateral Damage and the Heart of God (Point of Joining)

December 1st, 2014

Spanned degradation is how the children of Israel moved away from the principles of the LORD–as spanned across stretched out time. Spanned degradation is not a revolutionary happening; rather, it is evolutionary. Over time, there is less and less desire to counteract the increasing damage to civility in the society. We, who serve the LORD, need to take notice of the progression of degradation; from its beginning, even, to now, and onward in time.

Consider this: when the full weight of the spanned degradation that we have experienced comes to us, it will not matter if the wait is for several millennia, or if it is only for a fraction of a second; the damage that it will cause to the soul is still incomprehensible, and absolutely real. Also, as we linger in our dilemma, it becomes more and more difficult to see the way to recovery. Moreover; even when we see the way, it is even more difficult to submit our self to the remedy. The remedy is this: joining with others that have recovered from a similar degradation.

In the case where; the one to which we join, in our attempt to place a bridle on degradation, is also an entity that has previously assisted in recovery for others; this is not a servant-master relationship. Both parties in the relationship are servants of the LORD. Wherefore both sides of the connection receive its blessing from the LORD>Here is a hint of how that proceeded in the call to the other nations, as for them to accept assistance from the God of Israel, as connected to the victory that has been achieved by Israel, as in the LORD’S redemption of the mixed multitude. This is a portion of king Solomon’s petition to God, at the dedication of the House of God, in Israel.

Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake; (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name. (1 Kings 8:41-43)We need to prepare our soul for the joining with–as Solomon presented to the LORD–a stranger. Here is a paradox for those who resist submission: to the portion of service to God: there is a part of the soul of separation that must be destroyed, to prepare a site for the joining. Scripture tells of the beginning of the death of that certain part of your soul, which you might have thought, you would have forever. It is a necessary death; for, the LORD cannot abide sin in His presence. As the apostle Paul wrote:

 

– Explore Collateral Damage and the Heart of God: Part Twenty –

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kingdom of man (Sustenance – Focused)

November 19th, 2014

Some gifts come with choices: to use them, or, not. The life that the LORD gifted to the kingdom of man was not of that sort. Once that gift was delivered, it took control of the first place of activity in the kingdom of man. Though; God did not give this gift absolute control of the kingdom of man–for, life, too, has to operate in a span. Life’s span is complete when it releases control to another of the gifts of God: death. Wait; before we answer that question you just raised, here is our introduction to death.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

(Genesis 2:15-17)

Okay; now, back to that question. You ask why I say that, death is a gift. I say so because; in an extension of its charter, death was enlisted to deliver us into this fulfillment.

 

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– Explore kingdom of man: Part Five –

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Collateral Damage and the Heart of God (Sensitized Contact)

November 10th, 2014

Both sides of a spiritual graft need to be readied for the contact. This is so because; each side of the contact will have its own unique behavioral seismology. Yes, it is true that, the LORD has interventions that will smooth over behavioral rough edges. To describe this type of smoothing, the word, balm, is used in Scripture. For instance . . .

When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me. Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities? The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? 

(Jeremiah 8:18-22)Primarily, the reconciliation of the potential joining spot, at which, formerly rough edges are ordained to meet, occurs in an action that comes to us in the obvious power of God–as opposed to being shielded in the mystery of the omnipotence of the LORD. Though, paradoxically; it is a disruption that often appears to be, solely of human manufacture. Therefore; sometimes, we ignore the quiet smoothing that comes from interaction by the hidden things of God. We must not ignore them. We must not give the glory to man.

 

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– Explore Collateral Damage and the Heart of God: Part Nineteen –

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Election to Serve – Delicately (Image of Trust)

November 3rd, 2014

We would like to think that all non-mating situations would be absent a consideration of physical attributes. This would allow for proper assessment of our associates; such as in performing selection as based on the merit of the soul and spirit. This is especially necessary for situations that are elections to service to the LORD. Surely, this is a weighting criterion in subsequent assessment of faithful performance of the assigned mission. As pertains to the former consideration–selection for service to the LORD–any assessment of fitness for duty needs to be done in a fashion that is such as we see, here.

And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.

And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.

But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

(1 Samuel 16:4-7)

Of course, we will still need to work our way through a process of evaluation, of some sorts. This is the standard interview situation, as one narrows the candidate list. The time that it is of greatest pressure on us is when it involves a single position that must be filled. Samuel was in that type of interview, here.

 

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– Explore Election to Serve – Delicately: Part Two –

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Collateral Damage and the Heart of God (Grafting)

October 25th, 2014

Israel had a pattern that the LORD engrained in the congregation, for extension of vines that would spread out among itself, the mixed multitude of Israel. This pattern is in the law of Moses. It involves the work that was assigned to the priesthood.

And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. (Exodus 28:36-38)Specifically, the assignment was to the family of Aaron.

 

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– Explore Collateral Damage and the Heart of God: Part Eighteen –

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kingdom of man (Life as a Gift – Extended)

October 2nd, 2014

To move in the flow of, life as a gift, as in an extended fashion; we needed an image of how we can navigate this mental terrain. To give us that example, the LORD inserted a reasoning process in Noah. The reasoning process took Noah to the place at which he understood that certain things are wise to do. Among the things that are wise to do is this one: to be faithful in our communion with the LORD.

It is because of Noah’s inaugural faithfulness–as extends to us, in his example–that, he assists us in molding our life in religion. As a part of the lesson of Noah, we acknowledge both, religious outreach, and, cherishing life, as being a tightly coupled gift from God. A certain servant of God revealed the beauty of the gift, as in these words.

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

(Ephesians 2:4-9)

In the living example, Noah; the gift is as we see its coupling, here.

 

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– Explore kingdom of man: Part Four –

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Collateral Damage and the Heart of God (Redemptive Rejuvenation)

September 22nd, 2014

In a prior section of our study of collateral damage and the Heart of God, we spoke of, rooms of separation from the principles of grace and redemption, such as one occupies when one moves too far from the center of the LORD’S will. This was a state in which the children of Israel often abided; however, it was not a state that was permanent. As given for the sake of the people of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, this promise of the LORD still prevailed; even when Israel was in one of those rooms.

And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

(2 Chronicles 7:12-16)Thus, in fulfillment of that pronouncement of the LORD; the time would come, when the LORD would extract Israel from its room of rebellion. Actually, there would be many such extractions. Two detailed progressions of rebellious circumstances that would require extraction are contained in the book of Leviticus, chapter twenty-six, and the book of Leviticus, chapter twenty-eight (The Curses). We have included these lists as an addendum to this portion of the study of collateral damage and the Heart of God.

 

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– Explore Collateral Damage and the Heart of God: Part Seventeen –

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Election to Serve – Delicately (By His Estimation)

September 11th, 2014

In the Hebrew culture, it may seem that the woman was given a backseat to the man: this is not, at all, true. I think it has more to do with the physical dimensions of the average woman, as compared to the average man. This was evident in the fact that; the men were called upon to go to war, whereas, initially, the women were not.

And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.

(Numbers 1:1-4)

In the life of Abraham, the important place of the woman was clearly evident. To see this; please, look at the driving force in the inheritance that Abraham was able to accumulate on several levels. The first level of accumulation of inheritance is; the blessing that is children. The importance of this level is highlighted in the following Scripture.

 

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– Explore Election to Serve – Delicately: Part One –

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Collateral Damage and the Heart of God (Principle of Purging)

September 1st, 2014

Previously, we received an introduction to the fact that; in the preparation of the vine of the LORD, there is an acceptable set of principles for pruning the human branches, in preparing them for service to the LORD. Here is a refreshing of that introduction.

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.

(John 15:1-5)

As with plant husbandry, so, too, it is with humans: there are varying intensities of pruning. At the most benign end is the pruning that tweaks the mind to shift from an intention that has not yet been acted upon. In that level of pruning is activity such as this.

 

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– Explore Collateral Damage and the Heart of God: Part Sixteen –

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