“Now you have to stand in desire, all your life long, if you are to make progress in the way of perfection.” –the cloud of unknowing
To stand in desire for any extended period is to acknowledge with heart, mind, and body that what it is we are created for, we are ultimately waiting to be brought to a eschatological completion. Standing in desire seems impossible due to the momentary “fixes” available to us that distract our desire form its origins and attach it firmly to a more apparently manageable and attainable end. Yet they can’t deliver. And like those who have been blinded, we go about groping to grab hold of someone or something, when allowing our selves to be grasped is the only thing that leads to our desires satiation and eventual fulfillment.
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”-St. Augustine
Job 28
"There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness; Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in places forgotten by the foot of man; far from men he dangles and sways. The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire; sapphires come from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold. No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon's eye has seen it; Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there. Man's hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains. He tunnels through the rock; his eyes see all its treasures. He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light. "But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. The deep says, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.' It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed in silver. It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphires. Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold. "Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?
It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air. Destruction and Death say, 'Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.' God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it.
And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."
To stand in desire, means sit (active resting) in the truth. To sit in the truth means to rest in not experiencing everything you already have. To experience that rest, means to wage war against the lie that resting in desire, means you do not have what you’re looking for. To stand in desire, is to sit long enough, to fight the right fight, to rest, in order to receive the peace to continue to stand. Simple enough to be thoroughly confusing huh?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Seeing clearly
(NIV) 2 Peter 1:5-9
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. [8] For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
(NIV) Psalm 119:18
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
Open eyes are required to see beauty beneath the weight of a hard to face reality. Nearsighted blindness is a chosen judgement of anothers reality without acknowledgement of equal need of deserved judgment. You have to shut your eyes to prevent seeing your reflection in anothers eyes. Open eyes lead to humble tongues, restorative love, and an invitation to repentance through not having to do so alone.
Ineffective and unproductive is having a blind man give you LASIK surgery. Careful you aren't wielding a scalpel with a blindfold on. Be even more careful if your holding a scalpel if you've never been cut in the same manner.
(NIV) Luke 6:41-42
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? [42] How can you say to your brother, `Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
God never invites you into His doing something in someone He first doesn't do in you. That's why that huge list of things to add to in 2 Peter 1 is about reception not self generated addition.
(NIV) John 9:32-33
[32] Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. [33] If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
Sent from my iPhone
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. [8] For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
(NIV) Psalm 119:18
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
Open eyes are required to see beauty beneath the weight of a hard to face reality. Nearsighted blindness is a chosen judgement of anothers reality without acknowledgement of equal need of deserved judgment. You have to shut your eyes to prevent seeing your reflection in anothers eyes. Open eyes lead to humble tongues, restorative love, and an invitation to repentance through not having to do so alone.
Ineffective and unproductive is having a blind man give you LASIK surgery. Careful you aren't wielding a scalpel with a blindfold on. Be even more careful if your holding a scalpel if you've never been cut in the same manner.
(NIV) Luke 6:41-42
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? [42] How can you say to your brother, `Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
God never invites you into His doing something in someone He first doesn't do in you. That's why that huge list of things to add to in 2 Peter 1 is about reception not self generated addition.
(NIV) John 9:32-33
[32] Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. [33] If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, February 8, 2010
Weather Man
(NIV) Ecclesiastes 11:4
Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
There is never a "good" time to do what the lord is calling you to do. Circumstances always tend to dictate our movment, when often times, what we have the ability to actually see, not unlike wind and clouds, we cannot control nor predict the outcome.
(NIV) Ecclesiastes 11:5-6
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. [6] Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
The call of obedience is sowing your seed with no guarentee of exactly what you will end up harvesting. For this to happen obedience to our feelings (which often gets or fiercest loyalty) must cease to be our our cornerstone, the functional trust of our hearts and minds. Faith is the active hope that whatever is harvested, it is Gods will for you and therefore good for you, even if it takes the form of suffering. "Sucess" can be redefined and redeamed from "getting what you think you need for your life" to recieving anything with even joyful anticipation that Christ brings into our lives. How?
When what you think you need gets minimized appropriately by who you are actually with.
(NIV) Genesis 15:1
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. "
Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
There is never a "good" time to do what the lord is calling you to do. Circumstances always tend to dictate our movment, when often times, what we have the ability to actually see, not unlike wind and clouds, we cannot control nor predict the outcome.
(NIV) Ecclesiastes 11:5-6
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. [6] Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
The call of obedience is sowing your seed with no guarentee of exactly what you will end up harvesting. For this to happen obedience to our feelings (which often gets or fiercest loyalty) must cease to be our our cornerstone, the functional trust of our hearts and minds. Faith is the active hope that whatever is harvested, it is Gods will for you and therefore good for you, even if it takes the form of suffering. "Sucess" can be redefined and redeamed from "getting what you think you need for your life" to recieving anything with even joyful anticipation that Christ brings into our lives. How?
When what you think you need gets minimized appropriately by who you are actually with.
(NIV) Genesis 15:1
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. "
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Homebody
(NIV) Isaiah 32:17-19
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. [18] My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. [19] Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely,
Confidence and peace. Two things everyone I know desires for their lives. Fruit is grown from a source that determines it's nature and substance. Feeding upon that fruit produces desirable effects. Peace is a term conotating satisfaction and fullness. If peace is the fruit, and righteousness is the source (John 15), this then requires us asking what is the source of righteousness?
(NIV) Romans 3:21-22
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. [22] This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
(NIV) Isaiah 30:15
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
The effect of feeding upon the fruit of peace, feeding being actively resting in Christ's righteousness rather than something or someone else, is quiet confidence that exists beyond circumstance.
Peacful dwelling places, secure homes, and undesturbed places of rest in a flattened forest and a leveled city?
Must mean your actual home wasn't in the forest or the city.
(NIV) 2 Peter 3:13
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
(NIV) Hebrews 11:13-14
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. [14] People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. [18] My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. [19] Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely,
Confidence and peace. Two things everyone I know desires for their lives. Fruit is grown from a source that determines it's nature and substance. Feeding upon that fruit produces desirable effects. Peace is a term conotating satisfaction and fullness. If peace is the fruit, and righteousness is the source (John 15), this then requires us asking what is the source of righteousness?
(NIV) Romans 3:21-22
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. [22] This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
(NIV) Isaiah 30:15
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
The effect of feeding upon the fruit of peace, feeding being actively resting in Christ's righteousness rather than something or someone else, is quiet confidence that exists beyond circumstance.
Peacful dwelling places, secure homes, and undesturbed places of rest in a flattened forest and a leveled city?
Must mean your actual home wasn't in the forest or the city.
(NIV) 2 Peter 3:13
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
(NIV) Hebrews 11:13-14
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. [14] People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Sleeping with the enemy
NIV) Psalm 110:1
The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your
enemies a footstool for your feet."
When your enemy is you, then resting is the hardest battle to
recognize and fight. It's difficult because sitting with the Lord
looks and feels on the surface like stagnation, when infact it is
active pasivity with a intentional focus.
A doctor performing a surgery never asks the person on the table why
they arent doing more to help.
(NIV) Luke 10:38-42
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village
where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. [39] She had a
sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he
said. [40] But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had
to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my
sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help
me!" [41] "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and
upset about many things, [42] but only one thing is needed. Mary has
chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Courage often has the appearance of doing nothing-George Landolt
The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your
enemies a footstool for your feet."
When your enemy is you, then resting is the hardest battle to
recognize and fight. It's difficult because sitting with the Lord
looks and feels on the surface like stagnation, when infact it is
active pasivity with a intentional focus.
A doctor performing a surgery never asks the person on the table why
they arent doing more to help.
(NIV) Luke 10:38-42
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village
where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. [39] She had a
sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he
said. [40] But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had
to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my
sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help
me!" [41] "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and
upset about many things, [42] but only one thing is needed. Mary has
chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Courage often has the appearance of doing nothing-George Landolt
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
